DA Smart

Robert Taylor Homes

DA Smart, also known as D.A. Smart and The Black Terror, grew up on Chicago’s South Side, spending much of his youth in the Robert Taylor Homes, in a stretch locals called Vulture City, and also living in Altgeld Gardens. He started rapping at about 12 after MC Rock introduced him to hip hop in the mid-1980s. By the early 1990s he had a reputation as one of the most feared battle MCs in the city, and he co-founded the Dynamic Force Crew (D.F.C.) with MC Rock and Kiddo.

RCA and “One in a Million”

His battle reputation led to a deal with RCA Records, but the label shelved his project as the industry moved away from socially conscious rap. With help from Wendy Day and her Rap Coalition, he got out of the contract and went independent. In 1995 he recorded “One in a Million,” tied to that year’s Million Man March in Washington, and he appeared on other music connected to the march.

“Walk Wit Me”

Working with producer The Legendary Traxster, the architect of Twista’s “Adrenaline Rush” and Do or Die’s early records, he released “Walk Wit Me” on Creator’s Way Records on September 23, 1997. The four-track CD paired the title song with “Feel Tha Funk,” “Ghetto Love” and “One in a Million,” all produced by Traxster. Built on a sample of Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You,” “Walk Wit Me” walked listeners through Chicago street and gang life and became one of the city’s enduring street anthems, still called Chicago’s hood anthem decades later.

Terror Records and Control the Mic

He later founded his own label, Terror Records, whose roster included Tae Bae, Mz. Lady, Da General and Tra Cee, and released the label compilation “The Reign of Terror” in May 2014. He also started Control the Mic, a monthly showcase for Chicago MCs, and works with young people through B.O.I. (Boys of Islam), an organization that steers youth away from gangs and violence. He is featured in the Chicago rap documentary “Midway.”