Smoke Dawg facts for kids

Jahvante Jahqwane Sheldon Smart (born November 18, 1996 – died June 30, 2018), known as Smoke Dawg, was a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was from Toronto, Ontario.

Smoke Dawg was part of a hip hop group called Halal Gang. This group included artists like Mustafa the Poet, Puffy L'z, Safe, and Mo-G. They also joined with the Prime Boys to form a bigger group called Full Circle. His only studio album, Struggle Before Glory, was released after his passing in 2018.

Music Career Highlights

Early Days: 2012–2014

Jahvante Smart started rapping when he was 16 years old in 2012. He became well-known in 2014 with his song "Still." This song featured Mo-G, another member of Halal Gang.

"Still" was released on October 4, 2014. It quickly gained over one million views online in just one month. The song was re-uploaded in January 2015 and got over four million views.

Rising Fame: 2015–2016

Smart released his single "Trap House" on July 31, 2016. This song became popular and even caught the attention of famous artists. French Montana joined him for an official remix of the song.

Drake, another Toronto artist, also noticed Smoke Dawg. Drake invited Smart to perform on many of his tours around the world. Smoke Dawg also performed alongside ASAP Ferg. In 2015, Smoke Dawg was featured on Safe's single "Hang."

In October 2016, Smart released "Overseas" with UK artist Skepta. This song was produced by Murda Beatz, who is from Toronto. Smoke Dawg also performed at 6 Fest, a big hip-hop festival in Toronto. He performed with Halal Gang, and other artists like Pusha T and French Montana were also there.

Struggle Before Glory: 2017–2018

In 2017, Now newspaper listed Smart as a Toronto musician to watch. In February 2017, he released "Count it Up" and filmed its music video in London, UK. He also performed in London with other artists.

While in the UK, Smoke Dawg and Puffy L'z did a "Fire in the Booth" freestyle. This is a popular rap session with Charlie Sloth. Smoke Dawg also toured with Drake on his Boy Meets World Tour. He was also featured on Jimmy Prime's song "Humana" in March 2017.

In June 2017, Smoke Dawg was a main performer at uTOpia, a music festival in Toronto. He brought out Puffy L'z and Mo-G during his performance. Later in 2017, Smart was in a documentary called "Northside." This film showed the growing rap scene in Toronto.

Noisey also released a short film about him in December 2017. It showed Smoke Dawg in Toronto, where he talked about his journey.

In early 2018, Smart announced he was working on his first album, Struggle Before Glory. The album's first song, "No Discussion," featured AJ Tracey and was produced by Murda Beatz. This song was released on August 13, 2018, after Smoke Dawg's passing.

His album Struggle Before Glory was released on November 29, 2018. Exclaim! magazine gave the album a good rating. The album featured many artists from Toronto and the UK. It was seen as a summary of his music and life. Smoke Dawg's younger brother, Young Smoke, added a special tribute at the end of the album.

Music After His Passing: 2019-Present

Mustafa the Poet, a friend of Halal Gang, released a short film called Remember Me, Toronto. This film talked about challenges faced by artists in Toronto. Smoke Dawg appeared in the film through old videos, sharing how he wanted to be remembered.

Smart also appeared on Puffy L'z's album Take No L'z in 2019. He was on the song "Boring" with Jay Whiss. He was also featured on Donnie's album From the Beginning to End on the track "Good as it Gets."

Jay Whiss released "Mind in a Maze" as a tribute to Smoke Dawg. He said it was his favorite song he ever recorded. Smoke Dawg was known for his unique adlib, "Awhooley." Puffy L'z mentioned he uses this adlib to keep Smoke Dawg's memory alive. Mustafa the Poet dedicated his 2021 album, When Smoke Rises, to Smoke Dawg. The album's title and cover art also refer to him.

His Passing

On June 30, 2018, Jahvante Smart tragically passed away due to an incident in downtown Toronto. This happened near Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue. Three people were injured in the incident. Two of them, including Smoke Dawg and Koba Prime, later passed away in the hospital. Koba Prime was a manager for the Prime Boys group.

Toronto's Mayor John Tory spoke about the incident. He met with people from the hip-hop community to discuss solutions for safety in the city. Later, a person named Abdulkadir Handule was found responsible for the deaths. He was given a life sentence.

Music Releases

Studio Albums

• 2018: Struggle Before Glory

Songs

As the Main Artist

As a Featured Artist

Film and TV Appearances