In commemoration of Juneteenth, the federal holiday recognizing the day enslaved Africans in Texas were informed they were no longer property of the white slave owners, the city of Inglewood, California has decided to honor a hometown hero with its key.
On Sunday (June 18), Grammy-nominated D Smoke will receive the Key to the City during the Inglewood Juneteenth Street Festival. The rapper, whose real name is Daniel Anthony Farris, said this was a great honor for him to be recognized by the city he grew up in.
“I couldn’t be more honored to be the second person in history to be awarded the key to the city of Inglewood,” D Smoke wrote, according to 2 Urban Girls. “To see the changes it incurred and to know that Black businesses still thrive and we’re a part of its growth makes me proud!”
A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Spanish, he rocked the world in 2019 as the winner of Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow series.
His commitment to his community impressed many of the judges, including returning to his alma mater, Inglewood High School, to teach Spanish and music theory. Producer, writer and actress Issa Rae was the first person to receive the Key to the City. In 2022, during the Taste of Inglewood Festival, the city bestowed the honor on her during Super Bowl weekend.
On Friday (June 16), D Smoke and his brother SiR just dropped a new single titled “Work Hard Play Hard.”
While the new song is a summer banger, one song from his catalog, “North Star” with Mumu Fresh speaks to the sacredness of the Juneteenth holiday.