Smoke DZA’s biography, net worth, fact, career, awards and life story

Intro American rapper
Is Rapper 
Songwriter 
From United States of America 
Type Music 
Gender male
Birth 8 February 1984, Harlem
Age: 36 years

Sean Pompey (born February 8, 1984), better known by his stage name Smoke DZA, is an American hip hop recording artist from Harlem, New York City.

Biography

1984–2007: Early life and career beginnings

Smoke DZA was born February 8, 1984 at Harlem Hospital in New York City and has lived in New York all his life. The son of two Guyanese immigrants, Smoke was exposed to music at home by his father and fell in love with hip hop at a young age. He grew up listening to and emulating fellow New Yorkers Jay-Z and Notorious BIG. After dropping out of high school to pursue his music career, DZA began battle rapping and has battled fellow Harlem-based rapper J.R. Writer. Smoke DZA decided on his moniker after being influenced by Chris Tucker’s character Smokey from the movie Friday and the acronym DZA stands for “Dream Zone Achieve”. He was discovered by Jonny Shipes of Cinematic Music Group in 2002 and went on to ghostwrite for numerous rappers, including Hi-Tek. In 2002, he partnered to become one half of the group Smoke & Numbers, until going solo in 2008.

2008–present: Rugby Thompson and Dream.Zone.Achieve

Since splitting from Smoke & Numbers to pursue a solo career, DZA has released a string of mixtapes including Substance Abuse, Substance Abuse 1.5, George Kush The Button, Rolling Stoned, Sweet Baby Kushed God, Cuz I Felt Like It and K.O.N.Y. He has worked with Big K.R.I.T., Wiz Khalifa, and ASAP Rocky among others and is a founding member of the Smokers Club. His album, Rolling Stoned was awarded the High Times Doobie Award for Hip Hop album of the year for 2011. DZA latest album Rugby Thompson was released in June 2012 by High Times and Cinematic Music Group. The album was produced entirely by Harry Fraud. The album features numerous artists including Action Bronson, Currensy, Domo Genesis, Schoolboy Q and ASAP Twelvyy.

On April 1, 2014, Smoke DZA released Dream.Zone.Achieve, his third studio album. The album consisted of 21 songs broken down into three sections, Dream, Zone and Achieve, each with 7 tracks. Features included fellow Harlem native Cam’ron, Joey Bada$$, Ab-Soul, Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y.

On April 6, 2014, in the midst of WrestleMania XXX, Smoke DZA released a mixtape titled Ringside 2, the second installment in his wrestling-inspired Ringside EP series. Production was handled his by fellow R.F.C. member 183rd, with features from Peter Rosenberg, then WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E Langston, Aston Matthews and Flatbush Zombies.

On December 2 2016, he and Pete Rock released “Don’t Smoke Rock” and song “Limitless” in October.

Musical style and influences

Smoke cites fellow New York natives Jay-Z and Notorious B.I.G. as his main influences. As an adolescent he would use their songs and write his own lyrics, helping him learn rhyming patterns.”I used to re-write Biggie. It started with ‘Mo Money, Mo Problems.’ I would switch up the words, make it my own.” He has also cited fellow Harlem rappers like Mase, Big L and Dipset as influences and inspiration. Though he is often mistakenly classified as a weed rapper, Smoke considers himself a lifestyle rapper and prefers not to be confined to one genre of rap. DZA’s albums and mixtapes often feature many collaborative tracks. DZA says he enjoys collaborating with fellow artists like Dom Kennedy and Kendrick Lamar as he feels it helps him “step his ball game up” in terms of his craft.

Discography

  • Rolling Stoned (2011)
  • Rugby Thompson (2012)
  • Dream. Zone. Achieve (2014)
  • He Has Risen (2016)
  • Don’t Smoke Rock (with Pete Rock) (2016)
  • “He Has Risen by Smoke DZA on iTunes”. Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2016-03-04. 
  • “Don’t Smoke Rock by Smoke DZA & Pete Rock on Apple Music”. Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2016-11-01. 
You May Also Like

Andrea Bocelli’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

Andrea Bocelli net worth: Andrea Bocelli is an Italian tenor, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has a net worth of $100 million. As one of the most famous opera singers today, Andrea Bocelli enjoys a distinguished place in the musical world. He is considered to have one of the most beautiful voices in the world and has released many successful albums. Bocelli has shown his versatility over the years, collaborating with various artists across many genres, including mainstream pop music. Early Life: Andrea Bocelli was born on September 22nd of 1958 in Lajatico, Italy. After tests were conducted, doctors told his mother that she should abort him as a baby, as there was a good chance he would be born with a disability. His mother dismissed the advice, and Bocelli was born with congenital glaucoma, a condition that would seriously affect his eyesight. By the age of six, Andrea Bocelli displayed a fascination with music, as it was one of the few things which brought him joy. After learning how to play the piano at a young age, Bocelli went on to learn the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and drums. Although he became a skilled musician with various instruments, his own voice proved to be the most fulfilling musical outlet. As a young boy, Bocelli listened to famous opera singers and dreamed of becoming a professional tenor later in life. Although Bocelli could still see to some degree before the age of 12, he became completely blind before reaching his teens after an accident during a game of soccer. He was playing as a goalkeeper and suffered a hemorrhage after the ball struck his eye. Even more so than before, Bocelli became obsessed with singing. Eventually, he graduated from secondary school and moved on to law school at the University of Pisa, where he obtained a degree. While he was still a student, Bocelli performed at night in piano bars. On one of these nights, he met his future wife, Enrica Cenzatti. Eventually, he graduated from law school and acted as a court-appointed lawyer for about a year. Career: Andrea Bocelli first became known to the world in 1992, when he collaborated with rock star Zucchero and famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti for the track “Misere.” Originally, Bocelli was only supposed to sing for the demo track, which was then sent to Pavarotti for his consideration. Upon hearing Bocelli sing, however, Pavarotti insisted that this upstart new tenor take center stage. Eventually, a deal was reached whereby both Pavarotti and Bocelli would sing together. When “Misere” was released, it immediately became a major hit. Bocelli then joined Zucchero on tour, singing duets with Bocelli and singing solos for various songs. Almost inevitably, he was then signed by a major label. From 1993 to 1994, Bocelli entered many music and song contests throughout Italy, winning several competitions. His first album in 1994 went platinum within weeks. That year, he also toured once again and made his opera debut with a role as “Macduff” in Verdi’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s renowned Scottish play. From 1994 to 1997, Bocelli collaborated with many other singers and released more albums. Many of these tracks performed extremely well around the globe, especially “Time to Say Goodbye,” with went six times platinum. In 1997, he was also introduced to American audiences for the first time when PBS aired one of his concerts in Germany. In 1998, Bocelli took his opera career even further with a major role in La Boheme. After releasing his fifth album, Andrea Bocelli traveled to the United States to perform there for the first time. After a performance in Washington, D.C., he was personally received by President Clinton. That marked the beginning of his first tour across North and South America, and he appeared in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Vancouver, and many other major cities. During this time, he also collaborated with Celine Dion for the first time with the single “The Prayer.” He also appeared in operatic productions over the course of his tour, appearing at the Detroit Opera House and many other venues around the world, including those in Hollywood. His seventh album was heavily influenced by religion and performed extremely well on the US Classic Billboard chart. Throughout the next few years, Bocelli continued to tour, release albums, and perform in various operas. He was also recognized for his musical accomplishments with a number of award nominations – some of which he won. In 2006, he performed at the Torino Olympics. That same year, he also performed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After more albums and various appearances, he appeared once again to a wider, sporting audience when he performed at the final of the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, Andrea Bocelli was given a star on the Hollywood walk of fame for his contributions to the entertainment industry. That year, he performed at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai and at the FIFA World Cup once again. In 2015, Bocelli released his fifteenth studio album, Cinema. In 2017, he collaborated with Ed Sheeran with the track “Perfect Symphony.” This was a rendition of Sheeran’s original “Perfect” with many of the lyrics sung in Italian. On April 12, 2020, Bocelli performed “Music For Hope” at an empty cathedral in Milan. The performance was streamed live around the world, with the intention of raising morale during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personal Life: Andrea Bocelli had two children with his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, before the couple split in 2002. That year, Andrea Bocelli met his second wife, Veronica Berti. His wife is also his manager, and the couple had a daughter in 2012. In 2014, Bocelli married Veronica Berti. Andrea Bocelli lives in a large villa on the coast of the Mediterranean along with his wife and daughter. He also owns another nearby villa, where his ex-wife and other children reside. In the United States he owns a large mansion in Miami.
Read More

John LeClair’s net worth, biography, fact, career, awards and life story

John LeClair Net Worth: John LeClair is a former American professional ice hockey player who has a net worth of $36 million. Born in St. Albans, Vermont, in 1969, John LeClair played college hockey at the University of Vermont, where he struggled due to some injuries. He was drafted 33rd overall during the 1987 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He went on to play for the Canadiens, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. LeClair was part of the Legion of Doom line alongside Eric Lindros while with the Flyers. LeClair was part of the 1993 Stanley Cup championship team when he played for the Canadiens. He won the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy in 1995, the Bobby Clarke Trophy in 1997 and 1998, and was an NHL All-Star five times from 1996 until 2000. LeClair played in close to 1,000 career regular season games and scored more than 400 goals and recorded more than assists. He played internationally for the U.S. men’s national team, appearing in the Olympic games in 1998 and again in 2002. He presides over the John LeClair Foundation, which provides donations to organizations in Vermont that help children. He became a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.
Read More