Smif-n-Wessun

Emerging from Brownsville, Brooklyn, during hip-hop’s golden era, the duo Smif-N-Wessun made their initial mark by contributing verses to several Black Moon recordings, layering dancehall-tinged rhymes over the crew’s already stark beats. As core members of Boot Camp Clik they issued their landmark debut album Dah Shinin’ in 1995, only to face legal pressure from the Smith & Wesson firearm company and adopt the Cocoa Brovaz name in 1996 while retaining their signature delivery and East Coast production aesthetic.

Comprising Tekomin Williams, known as Tek, and Darrell Yates, known as Steele, the pair divided their efforts between collective Boot Camp Clik projects and standalone recordings. Their style fused the crew’s militant posture with Jamaican-inflected lyricism; after first surfacing in 1993 on Black Moon’s Enta da Stage—adding verses to “U da Man” and “Black Smif N’ Wessun”—they set the stage for the 1994 single “Bucktown.” Later that year their full-length Dah Shinin’ arrived, its brooding, dense soundscapes crafted by the Beatminerz and issued via the influential independent imprint Nervous Wreck Records.

Following a cease-and-desist notice from Smith & Wesson, the artists operated as Cocoa Brovaz and delivered The Rude Awakening in 1998, an even bleaker and more aggressive set. The accompanying track “Super Brooklyn,” constructed around an unauthorized Super Mario Bros. theme sample, circulated only unofficially yet generated sufficient underground attention to land a Rawkus Records deal. Throughout the early 2000s they appeared primarily on singles and compilations, including entries in the Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge series as well as Frankie Cutlass’ Politics & Bullshit.

Late in 2005 they reclaimed the Smif-N-Wessun moniker for the album Reloaded; two years afterward Smif-N-Wessun: The Album followed. In 2011 they joined forces with Pete Rock for Monumental, which featured guest contributions from Styles P, Memphis Bleek, Raekwon, Bun B, and additional artists. Drawing once more on reggae roots, the 2013 mixtape Born and Raised included appearances by Jahdan Blakkamoore, Junior Reid, and others. Their fifth official Smif-N-Wessun release, The All, produced entirely by 9th Wonder, surfaced in 2019.