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Smif-N-Wessun | |
|---|---|
 Steele (left) and Tek | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
|
| Origin | Brooklyn,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoff of | |
| Members | Tek Steele |
| Website | smifnwessun |
Smif-N-Wessun, also known asCocoa Brovaz andTek-N-Steele, is an Americanhip hop duo fromBrooklyn,New York City.[1] It is composed of rappers Tekomin "Tek" Williams (born June 3, 1973) fromBedford–Stuyvesant and Darrell "Steele" Yates (born December 18, 1972) fromBrownsville. The duo comprise one quarter ofsupergroupBoot Camp Clik, together withBuckshot,Heltah Skeltah andOriginoo Gunn Clappaz. Both members are known for theirJamaican Patois during their raps, which was more evident during the earlier stages of their career.
The duo debuted onBlack Moon's 1993 albumEnta da Stage on the tracks "Blac Smif-N-Wessun" and "U Da Man".[1] They released their firstsingle "Bucktown" b/w "Let's Git It On" in early 1994,[1] which became an underground hit. Released in January 1995, their albumDah Shinin' peaked at number 59 on theBillboard 200 and number 5 on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and went on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States. Along with "Bucktown", the album featured the singles "Wrekonize" b/w "Sound Bwoy Bureill" and "Wontime" b/w "Stand Strong".Dah Shinin became an influential album in thehardcore hip hop scene of the mid-1990s. Soon after the release of their debut, Smif-N-Wessun received acease and desist order over their group name by theSmith & Wesson firearms company. To avoid the lawsuit, they changed their name toCocoa Brovaz in 1996.
In 1997, Cocoa Brovaz joined up with theBuckshot,Heltah Skeltah andOriginoo Gunn Clappaz forBoot Camp Clik debut collaborative effortFor the People. In early 1998, the duo dropped their second albumThe Rude Awakening. The release was met with mixed reviews and moderate sales. The album's lead single, theRaekwon-assisted "Black Trump", was not able to reach anyBillboard charts. In 1999, the Clik was dropped fromPriority Records, leaving the duo temporarily unsigned. Soon after, the Cocoa Brovaz released an underground single "Super Brooklyn", which sampled theSuper Mario Bros. theme. Because of the illegal use of thesample, the duo was not able to officially release the track, but the single landed them a deal with underground labelRawkus Records.
They appeared on a number of compilation albums over the next few years, includingSoundbombing II,Lyricist Lounge 2,Domingo'sGame Over,Soundbombing III, andFrankie Cutlass'sPolitics & Bullshit. They were never able to release the album they recorded for Rawkus Records in 2002, though it has circulated as a bootleg. They rejoinedDuck Down Music for the release of the Boot Camp Clik's second group albumThe Chosen Few in the same year. In September 2005, they returned as Smif-N-Wessun for the albumSmif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded. The album received good reviews, and sold around 35,000-40,000 copies in the United States. In 2006, the Boot Camp Clik released their third group album,The Last Stand, to strong reviews and Smif-N-Wessun appeared on a special edition ofIch, the second album of the German rapperSido. Smif-N-Wessun's fourth album,Smif-n-Wessun: The Album, was released on October 23, 2007. The album is produced byKen Ring,Tommy Tee and more, and features appearances fromRock ofHeltah Skeltah,Joell Ortiz and Norwegian supergroup the Loudmouf Choir.
In 2008, they participated as guests in one track on PIO Squad's albumInterview. There were plans for a new Smif-n-Wessun album to be released in 2009. The duo has confirmed that legendary producerPete Rock would be producing a majority, if not all of the album.[2] The album is entitledMonumental and was released on June 28, 2011. The album's guests includeRaekwon,Bun B,Styles P,Heltah Skeltah,Top Dogg,Buckshot fromBoot Camp Clik,Memphis Bleek,Freeway,Black Rob andHurricane G.
In September 2013, the duo announced the release of areggae-inspiredextended play entitledBorn and Raised entirely produced by Beatnick &K-Salaam. The EP was released on December 3, 2013, and includes guest appearances fromJunior Reid,Junior Kelly, Jahdan Blakkamoore and DJ Full Factor. The EP's release was supported by onesingle – "Solid Ground" featuring Junior Reid.
In September 2018, they performed onNPR'sTiny Desk Concerts.[3]
In 2019, the group has released their sixth studio albumThe All, entirely produced by the Soul Council production team (9th Wonder,Khrysis, Eric Gabouer, Eric Jones,Nottz), followed-up by extended playSeasons withBelgian hip hop producer dFonk. They also participated in Black Moon's fourth studio albumRise of da Moon.
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | |||
| 1994 | "Bucktown" | 93 | 61 | 14 | Dah Shinin' |
| "Let's Git It On" | – | – | 14 | ||
| 1995 | "Wrekonize" | – | 95 | 29 | |
| "Sound Bwoy Bureill" | – | – | 29 | ||
| "Wontime" | 116 | – | 48 | ||
| 1997 | "Won on Won" | – | 94 | – | The Rude Awakening |
| 1998 | "Bucktown USA" | – | – | 47 | |
| 2001 | "Get Up" | – | 90 | 9 | Lyricist Lounge 2 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
