Smoke E. Digglera
| Smoke E. Digglera | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jawann Peacock |
| Also known as | Smokey |
| Born | February 15, 1977 (age 40) Louisville, Kentucky, United States |
| Origin | Louisville, Kentucky, US |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, record label owner |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Associated acts | Ginuwine, Jodeci, K-Ci & JoJo, Missy Elliott, Playa, Timbaland, Static Major, Aaliyah |
| Website | smokedigglera.com |
Jawann Peacock (born February 15, 1977), also known as Smoke E. Digglera, is an American recording artist, record producer, arranger and record label owner. His music blends traditional Rhythm & Blues with elements of pop, hip-hop, jazz and the Motown. He rose to fame as lead singer of the R&B group Playa, whose hit single Cheers 2 U reached #3 on Billboard's R&B / Hip Hop Chart. Their album, of the same name, is still viewed as a classic. After the group disbanded, Smoke E. Digglera formed his own record label, Bittersweet LLC., on which he released several solo projects and projects with artists he has signed to the label.
The R&B group Playa formed in Louisville, Kentucky and consisted of Smoke E. Digglera, Static Major and Digital Black. Because of Smoke E. Digglera's desire to form a singing group, he and Static Major met through a mutual friend at church in the late 1980s. Another friend brought Digital Black and Smoke E. Digglera together in the early 1990s, based on their vocal ability. Smoke E. Digglera and Static Major reconnected while visiting the University of Louisville campus and decided to form Playa. The group became a popular staple in the Louisville music scene. They got their big break when the Platinum selling R&B group Jodeci came to town for a concert. Playa managed to get back stage and was granted an impromptu audition for Jodeci founder and producer DeVante Swing. He was impressed by their harmonies and style and agreed to take them under his wing.
Under the guidance of Devante, Smoke E. Digglera, along with the members of Playa moved to Rochester, New York to work on their music. Devante assembled a mix of talented individuals that included Playa, girl groups Sista (which included Missy Elliott) and Suga (which included R&B artist Tweet), Timbaland and Ginuwine. This collective came to be known as Da Bassment. After years of singing, songwriting, producing and collaborating, Da Bassment artists had yet to be given a chance to release their material. This led to a steady stream of Da Bassment artists, including Smoke E. Digglera and Playa leaving the Rochester situation to pursue major record deals on their own.
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