Smif-N-Wessun

Bed-Stuy and Brownsville

Smif-N-Wessun is a Brooklyn duo made up of Tekomin "Tek" Williams, born June 3, 1973, and from Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Darrell "Steele" Yates, born December 18, 1972, and from Brownsville. The pair are identified with Bedford-Stuyvesant. They first gained attention through appearances on Black Moon's 1993 debut Enta da Stage, including the tracks "Black Smif-n-Wessun" and "U Da Man." Their own debut would come out on the same label, working with the same production team and the same Brooklyn circle around Buckshot. The duo has been active since 1993.

Dah Shinin'

Their debut album, Dah Shinin', was recorded at D&D Studios in New York City in 1993 and 1994 and released January 10, 1995, on Wreck/Nervous Records. Da Beatminerz (DJ Evil Dee, Mr. Walt, Rich Blak and Baby Paul) produced it, with Buckshot and Dru Ha as executive producers. The lead single "Bucktown," released in May 1994, reached No. 14 on the US Rap chart and No. 93 on the Hot 100. Other singles were "Wontime"/"Stand Strong" and "Wrekonize"/"Sound Bwoy Bureill." The album peaked at No. 59 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, has sold over 300,000 copies in the US, and was named one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums in 1998. It also includes the Boot Camp Clik posse cut "Cession at da Doghillee."

Cocoa Brovaz

Soon after the debut, the Smith & Wesson firearms company sent a cease and desist over the name. To avoid a lawsuit, the duo became Cocoa Brovaz in 1996 and released The Rude Awakening in 1998. They were founding members of Boot Camp Clik alongside Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah and Originoo Gunn Clappaz, and recorded for Duck Down, with releases also through Priority and Rawkus.

Return to the Name

The duo later went back to Smif-N-Wessun, releasing Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded (2005) and Smif-n-Wessun: The Album (2007). Monumental (2011) was produced by Pete Rock, and The All followed in 2019. Across these releases the duo has stayed closely tied to the Duck Down camp that grew out of Black Moon. Dah Shinin' remains their best-known record and one of the defining Brooklyn albums of the mid-1990s.