Wake Up Supa

As an integral part of Southern California’s bountiful, diverse rap scene, D Smoke knows how important community is. These tight relationships inform his 2025 LP, *Wake Up Supa*, which reflects the strength of his neighborly bonds within the context of grief and trauma; the project is also a journal of the Inglewood spitter coming to terms with the death of his mother. On the opening title track, Smoke observes how tragedy can take “the wind out the whole city.” The line may be about a number of significant deaths that have occurred in the city, or it might simply be about the collective grief from his friends and family after he lost his mom. Regardless, there’s a comfort in this openness. Even during his lowest moments, D Smoke finds support in the strength of his bonds. Take the triumphant, uplifting “Chin Up,” which finds the rapper imploring anyone going through it to keep pushing. It’s advice for anyone struggling, but also for himself: “And even if you get knocked down right when you get up, better keep your chin up.”