Back in February, D Smoke released his latest project Black Habits, which saw 16 tracks and additional appearances from Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Ari Lennox, and more. Reaching back to that, this weekend saw the Inglewood star liberating a new visual for “Closer To God,” which features an assist from blood brother SiR and, as the title suggests, connects D Smoke’s faith to memories within his and his family’s lives:
“Uh, all praise to the Most High, life’s a beach, so I’m drivin’ up the coastline, thinkin’ about the places where I spent the most time, stay fresher than button-ups and bow ties/
Cuttin’ up in the church pews, son of a preacher, made Mama sang blues, church hymns paid the rent, Mama paid dues, my daddy bought him a Cadi’, my cousin just bang rules…/”
Directed by Justin Jemerson, the short clip shows D Smoke and SiR entering and taking seats within a small church, the perfect environment for the track’s spiritual subject matter. Taking things ever further, D Smoke — real name Daniel Farris — is also seen being baptized, a major rite of passage for those practicing Christianity.
In addition to “Closer To God,” this year also saw high quality visuals from D Smoke for “Gasper Yanga,” “Lights On,” a new single titled “Rapture,” and the aforementioned album’s title track. He also spent 2020 providing assists on tracks like Rapsody’s “Afeni (Remix),” Jac Ross’ “It’s OK To Be Black 2.0,” and Tobe Nwigwe’s “HEADSHOTS,” among others.
Many fans first got their glimpse of D Smoke during the inaugural season of the T.I., Cardi B, and Chance The Rapper-led Netflix series “Rhythm & Flow,” which he ultimately won last year. 2019 also saw the well-received EP Inglewood High, which contained seven cuts and features with Tiffany Gouché, Sha’leah Nikole, and Tommy Sketch.
Press play on “Closer To God” below.