D Smoke opens up about working on Netflix’s first hip-hop competition show.
Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow show was truly far better than most people expected. Reality TV and competition shows are typically far more dramatized than it should be, which was the case with Rhythm + Flow but it did highlight some incredible talent. D Smoke came out on top which wasn’t necessarily shocking. Since the jump, he gave promising glimpses his potential with his performances from the music video challenge to the battle rap episode but there was a moment where none that would’ve happened just days before the competition began.
Sitting down with Big Boy, D Smoke dished out on his experience on the Netflix show. After Big Boy asked him if he was hesitant to initially do the show, D Smoke admitted that the day before, he was going to turn it down. He said that he called one the people from the show who was essentially courting the possible contestants because a few things in the contract. “There’s a lot things in our favor in terms us maintaining our independence even if we win, winning money, and being able to continue our artistry as we see fit,” he said. “Then there was the standard reality TV language in there that’s like, ‘Anything you do — whether or not it reflects positively or negatively on your artistry — will be used on the show.'”
Without any knowledge what could’ve possibly happened as the weekly challenges were not revealed, D Smoke was concerned about how it would’ve ultimately impacted his own career. “My thing is I don’t know what situations they’re going to — I don’t know what competitions there are ahead so I don’t know what situation you’re going to put me in to make me have to adjust to something that’s outside my comfort zone,” he said.
Peep the full interview below.