D Smoke came as a surprise to his fellow rapper Cardi B. During his first appearance on Rhythm + Flow, Cardi admitted she wasn't expecting him to be so good. He appeared in front of the "WAP" hitmaker and fellow judges Snoop Dogg, Chance the Rapper, and T.I. in coveralls and a brown knit cap, which didn't exactly scream the next rap superstar.
Cardi B hit the rapper with a bit of a backhanded compliment following his audition performance after he performed in both English and Spanish. Cardi told him that she thought he was a janitor when he hit the stage, admitting (via Los Angeles Times), "You really impressed me, because when I saw you, I thought you was gonna mop some floors." D Smoke went on to win the competition alongside the $250,000 prize and the opportunity to be represented by the big time talent agency WME.
He did some admirable things with his prize money, including paying back his mom and dad (via Grammy.com). D Smoke told TV Guide in 2019 that he also had plans to invest his windfall as well as helping others. "I'm going to give out a couple of scholarships to young people in the community through events where we can share information about what programs are available to the kids, and then of course kids, and then of course I'm going to be investing in my craft. I also will buy a place in Inglewood," he added.
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