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‘Rhythm + Flow’ winner: D Smoke wins Netflix’s hip-hop reality talent hunt show

30 talented aspiring rappers from across the country were hand-picked for the show

30 talented aspiring rappers from across the country were hand-picked by some of the biggest names in the rap world — Cardi B, T.I., Chance the Rapper, and several other guest judges and brought to a single stage in California for them to prove their mettle and get their hands on a no-strings-attached cash prize of whopping $250,000 and a chance to perform on Spotify’s ‘Rap Caviar’ live tour.
 
With so much at stake, the aspiring rappers gave it their best and finally only four contestants made it to the finale: Troyman, Londynn B, Flawless Real Talk, and D Smoke. For their final challenge each of the contestants was paired with the top music producers in the industry, and they had to compose and produce an original song for their final performance before a live audience and had the creative freedom to set the stage as they chose. Essentially, the judges were looking for an “award-show” worthy performance from the top four finalists. Each of them gave an unforgettable performance, but the judges could only pick one winner. So after some deliberation, they crowned D Smoke as the winner.

This Inglewood native has managed to put up a consistently brilliant performance throughout the course of the competition. With his impeccable skills of switching between English and Spanish while rapping and his powerful lyrics, this rapper managed to bowl over the judges. For his final performance, he was paired with the top producer Sounwave, who has worked with top artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, ScHoolboy Q. Together they produced a beautiful number, titled ‘The Last Supper’. Prior to his performance, D Smoke explains: “With this song, I’m really taking the audience on a journey which kind of explains, like: 'I know we friends, but Jesus was friends with Judas'.  It really brings it all together, like: 'Although we good friends, I don’t put nothing past none of y’all'. Like, 'Take your time, it’s a long dinner', you know?” 

This California-based rapper managed to wow the judges with his hidden talent of playing the piano. By the end of his brilliant performance, the judges were left wondering if there was anything he couldn’t do. Aside from being a good-looking performer, with strong songwriting skills, great stage presence, he really hit it home with his incredible piano skills.

After a nail-biting finale, where Flawless Real Talk and D Smoke were the last remaining finalists, the judges rightfully chose D Smoke and told him that they had high hopes from him and were confident that he’ll make it big in the industry.

You can stream ‘Rhythm + Flow’ on Netflix.