Smif-n-Wessun

Biography

Smif-N-Wessun, also known as Cocoa Brovaz and Tek-N-Steele, is an American hip hop duo from Brooklyn, New York City. It is composed of rappers Tekomin "Tek" Williams (born June 3, 1973) from Bedford–Stuyvesant and Darrell "Steele" Yates (born December 18, 1972) from Brownsville. The duo comprise one quarter of supergroup Boot Camp Clik, together with Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz. Both members are known for their Jamaican Patois during their raps, which was more evident during the earlier stages of their career.

History

The duo debuted on Black Moon's 1993 album Enta da Stage on the tracks "Blac Smif-N-Wessun" and "U Da Man". They released their first single "Bucktown" b/w "Let's Git It On" in early 1994, which became an underground hit. Released in January 1995, their album Dah Shinin' peaked at number 59 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top 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 the hardcore hip hop scene of the mid-1990s. Soon after the release of their debut, Smif-N-Wessun received a cease and desist order over their group name by the Smith & Wesson firearms company. To avoid the lawsuit, they changed their name to Cocoa Brovaz in 1996.
In 1997, Cocoa Brovaz joined up with the Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz for Boot Camp Clik debut collaborative effort For the People. In early 1998, the duo dropped their second album The Rude Awakening×The Rude Awakening31 March 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1Off the Wall5:142Still Standin Strong4:013Won on Won3:584Live at the Garden (skit)0:415Blown Away4:226Money Talks0:497The Cash3:588Black Trump4:249Dry Snitch4:3010Game of Life5:4711Back 2 Life3:5112Bucktown USA4:0113What They Call Him (skit)1:0114Hold It Down4:5615Spanish Harlem4:0916Myah Angelow5:1317Memorial5:37. The release was met with mixed reviews and moderate sales. The album's lead single, the Raekwon-assisted "Black Trump×Black Trump1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Black Trump (radio)4:122Black Trump (instrumental)3:133The Cash (radio)3:584The Cash (instrumental)2:46", was not able to reach any Billboard charts. In 1999, the Clik was dropped from Priority Records, leaving the duo temporarily unsigned. Soon after, the Cocoa Brovaz released an underground single "Super Brooklyn×Super Brooklyn1 March 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracksA1Super Brooklyn (radio)3:38A2Super Brooklyn (instrumental)3:38B1Super Brooklyn (dirty)3:39B2Super Brooklyn (a cappella)3:42B3Buckshot Radio Commercial1:01", which sampled the Super Mario Bros. theme. Because of the illegal use of the sample, the duo was not able to officially release the track, but the single landed them a deal with underground label Rawkus Records.
They appeared on a number of compilation albums over the next few years, including Soundbombing II, Lyricist Lounge 2, Domingo's Game Over, Soundbombing III, and Frankie Cutlass's Politics & Bullshit. They were never able to release the album they recorded for Rawkus Records in 2002, though it has circulated as a bootleg. They rejoined Duck Down Music for the release of the Boot Camp Clik's second group album The Chosen Few in the same year. In September 2005, they returned as Smif-N-Wessun for the album Smif '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 of Ich, the second album of the German rapper Sido. Smif-N-Wessun's fourth album, Smif-n-Wessun: The Album×The Album23 October 2007 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1See the Light3:562Gotta Say It3:153Trouble3:414K.I.M. 20002:535P.N.C. 4 Life4:066Gangster's Prayer3:517Stomp Thru3:168Who Gonna Save Us3:499Still Fighting3:0610Yeah3:5511Movie3:5712Can't Stop3:5213I Can't Feel My Face3:1514Still Here2:55, was released on October 23, 2007. The album is produced by Ken Ring, Tommy Tee and more, and features appearances from Rock of Heltah Skeltah, Joell Ortiz and Norwegian supergroup the Loudmouf Choir.
In 2008, they participated as guests in one track on PIO Squad's album Interview. There were plans for a new Smif-n-Wessun album to be released in 2009. The duo has confirmed that legendary producer Pete Rock would be producing a majority, if not all of the album. The album is entitled Monumental and was released on June 28, 2011. The album's guests include Raekwon, Bun B, Styles P, Heltah Skeltah, Top Dogg, Buckshot from Boot Camp Clik, Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Black Rob and Hurricane G.
In September 2013, the duo announced the release of a reggae-inspired extended play entitled Born and Raised entirely produced by Beatnick & K-Salaam. The EP was released on December 3, 2013, and includes guest appearances from Junior Reid, Junior Kelly, Jahdan Blakkamoore and DJ Full Factor. The EP's release was supported by one single – "Solid Ground" featuring Junior Reid.
In September 2018, they performed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.
In 2019, the group has released their sixth studio album The All×The All22 February 2019 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Intro (The Education of Smif-N-Wessun)3:542Testify1:283Dreamland3:424Ocean Drive4:555Let It Go3:046Letter 4 U4:377Let Me Tell Ya4:108The A.L.L.2:519We Good4:4810Stahfallah2:5211Illusions3:3912One Time3:28, entirely produced by the Soul Council production team (9th Wonder, Khrysis, Eric Gabouer, Eric Jones, Nottz), followed-up by extended play Seasons with Belgian hip hop producer dFonk. They also participated in Black Moon's fourth studio album Rise of da Moon.

Studio albums

1995: Dah Shinin'
1998: The Rude Awakening
2005: Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded
2007: Smif-n-Wessun: The Album
2011: Monumental (with Pete Rock)
2019: The All
2025: Infinity

EPs

2013: Born and Raised
2019: Seasons (EP) (with dFonK)