DJ Smokey (born May 30, 1992), is a pseudonymous music producer based in Montreal, Canada. He is best known for his involvement with cloud rap and the development of the phonk genre, including collaborations with ASAP Mob, Yung Lean, Yung Simmie, and Lil Peep.

In 2025, he hosted the Skrillex album Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!!, while his producer tags grew attention online. He is a member of the Shadow Wizard Money Gang music collective.

Career

Early career and hiatus (2011–2018) DJ Smokey was raised in Ontario, Canada and received classical piano training in his youth. Inspired by Soulja Boy's use of FL Studio in his productions, he switched his focus from piano to producing in the software in high school. His early work, beginning in 2011 on SoundCloud and YouTube, was inspired by phonk and Memphis rap production, especially SpaceGhostPurrp and Lil Ugly Mane, sampling 90s Memphis rappers like Playa Fly and Kingpin Skinny Pimp.

His Memphis rap and phonk-inspired mixtape, Evil Wayz, published in 2013, was referred to by Bandcamp Daily as a "cult classic" and "one of the best albums of the 'cloud rap' era." In particular, they mentioned the song "Evil Wayz Intro" as "the track that introduced him to the world."

His involvement on SoundCloud, especially with Evil Wayz, led to his first collaborations with the rap collective Raider Klan, facilitated by direct-messaging rappers on the platform. DJ Smokey credited these early collaborations as a contributing factor to producing for other established rappers like Yung Lean.

Several publications have described his early releases as influential within phonk, with comparisons to Lil Ugly Mane. Dazed noted that his early work "played an often overlooked role in the early careers of Yung Lean and Lil Peep."

In a 2025 interview with the online music magazine Sabukaru, DJ Smokey named his 2014 mixtape Smoked Out Dance Party as a turning point away from melancholic phonk-influenced production and towards what he described as more "positive" beats, attributing the more melancholic production in earlier releases as a reflection of ongoing drug abuse issues. He formed the Positive Squad music collective with KirbLaGoop, Smokeasac and Ruben Slik the following year in 2015. After participating in a drug rehabilitation program in 2018, he took two years away from music. He later described his recovery from drug addiction as a primary influence on his subsequent mixtapes and collaborations.

Return and online virality (2020–present) In 2022, DJ Smokey's producer tags, described by The Needle Drop as "very gravely voiced announcements . . . some of which [are] deeply ridiculous" became viral online. Influenced by collaborator Shaq France, he created the "Nuke" imprint used in his album art and producer tags. The satirical Trapaholics-influenced tags — for example, "legalize nuclear bombs" and "call the fire department, we just nuked the building" — were popularized and parodied in memes.

In addition, the "Shadow Wizard Money Gang" producer tag, originally made by fellow Shadow Wizard Money Gang member Louka Tessier, was popularized by DJ Smokey initially in its use on the song "Gout" by Joeyy. The tag's viral spread on TikTok brought DJ Smokey wider online attention, and provoked fan-created merchandise and lore that sometimes developed independently of the Shadow Wizards and DJ Smokey himself.

Following DJ Smokey's rise in online popularity, collaborator Varg2™ introduced Skrillex to DJ Smokey. This led to him and Skrillex meeting in Los Angeles and collaborating, culminating in DJ Smokey hosting his 2025 album Fuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3. His contributions to the album received positive coverage in Rolling Stone, The Needle Drop and Dazed.

Discography

Mixtapes +List of mixtapesTitleDetailsPurple Diamondz Vol. 1 Released: October 1, 2012 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingDa Smoke Tape Released: November 16, 2012 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingLand of Da Phonk Released: December 17, 2012 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingEvil Wayz Released: March 1, 2013, December 10, 2024 (re-release) Label: Self-released, Bratty Dog Tapes (re-release) Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl record (re-release)Kush Alienz Released: July 19, 2013 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingCodeine Demonz Released: July 19, 2013 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingEvil Wayz Vol. 2 Released: September 27, 2013, December 10, 2024 (re-release) Label: Self-released, Bratty Dog Tapes (re-release) Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl record (re-release)Mystic Wayz Released: November 22, 2013 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingLand of Da Phonk Vol. 2 Released: June 16, 2014 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingSmoked Out Dance Party Released: September 8, 2014 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingChoppin Out Da Forest Released: March 11, 2015 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingEvil Wayz Vol. 3 Released: October 20, 2015, December 10, 2024 (re-release) Label: Self-released, Bratty Dog Tapes (re-release) Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl record (re-release)Codeine Demonz Vol. 2 Released: July 21, 2016 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingPositive Squad The Soundtrack Vol. 1 Released: June 15, 2017 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingPositive Squad Adventures Chapter 1 Released: July 10, 2017 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingPositive Squad Adventures Chapter 2 Released: September 10, 2017 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingYoshi Emeraldz Released: September 30, 2017 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingKirby Rubiez Released: October 19, 2017 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingGoony Toonz Released: June 8, 2018, August 18, 2023 (re-release) Label: Positive Squad Records, Circle 5 Records (re-release) Format: Digital download, streaming, cassette tape (re-release)Adventures In Nightmare Land Released: August 31, 2018 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingSquirtle Sapphires Released: October 4, 2018 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingOnly 2 Left Alive Released: August 24, 2020 Label: Purple Posse Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl recordNuked Out Dance Party Released: May 30, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingLORESEEKER Released: July 28, 2023 Label: Olympus Projects, self-released Format: Digital download, streamingCOWBOYS WITH NUKES Released: October 9, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingPoison Pack #1 Released: July 9, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingPsychological Musical Warfare Released: November 8, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingHUMILIATION RITUAL Released: December 6, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingPsychological Musical Warfare Vol. 2 Released: May 16, 2025 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingNuclear Summer 2K25 Released: August 1, 2025 Label: Nuke Radio, Evil Poison Inc. Format: Digital download, streamingNuclear Fall: Atomic Autumn Released: October 26, 2025 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingSchool Of Trap Released: Jan 16, 2026 Label: Self-released, Bratty Dog Tapes Format: Digital download, streaming, CD-RNuclear Winter: BurrBerry Blizzard Released: February 28, 2026 Label: Self-released, Bratty Dog Tapes Format: Digital download, streaming, CDNuclear Spring: Nuke World Order Released: May 14, 2026 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming

Compilations +List of compilationsTitleAlbum detailsTraphouse Of Horrors Chapter 1, 2 & 3 Released: August 7, 2018 Label: Positive Squad Records Format: Digital download, streamingLost And Found Released: November 11, 2021 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming

Hosted +Selected list of releases hostedTitleDetailsArtistGout Released: December 2, 2022 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: SingleJoeyy YEAR 2023 AD: NUKES ARE NOW LEGAL Released: January 19, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: AlbumChrist DillingerThere's Evil in This Club Released: June 13, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: Album Christ Dillinger, SeepyFuck U Skrillex You Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not Released: April 1, 2025 Label: Atlantic, Owsla Format: Digital download, streaming, vinyl record Type: AlbumSkrillex

Selected production discography +Selected list of releases producedTitleDetailsArtist(s)Stayin True Released: August 10, 2012 Label: RBC Records Format: Digital download, streaming Type: Song (on album/mixtape)Chris Travis3D Spaceship Released: May 18, 2013 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: SingleYung LeanShut Up and Vibe Released: July 16, 2013 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: AlbumYung SimmieIced Out Castles Released: July 19, 2013 Label: Self-released, Goth Money Records Format: Digital download, streaming Type: Song (on album/mixtape)Black Kray 900 Thouxan Released: August 17, 2016 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: Mixtape Chxpo, KirbLagoopFuck Fame Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streaming Type: SingleLil Peep, Lil TracyYoung Nigga Living Released: October 31, 2016 Label: A$AP, Polo Grounds, RCA Format: Digital download, streaming Type: Song (on album/mixtape)A$AP MobFreaky Released: September 9, 2017 Label: Taylor Gang Format: Digital download, streaming Type: Song (on album/mixtape)Juicy J4THWALL PT. 2 Released: March 3, 2023 Label: Olympus Projects Format: Digital download, streaming Type: AlbumBBY GoyardMurio La Musica Released: March 15, 2025 Label: Dale Play Records, SWAGGERBOYZ Format: Digital download, streaming Type: AlbumAgusFortnite2008, Stiffy

Notes

References