Playa|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 80’s. Another friend brought Digital Black and Smoke E. Digglera together in the early 90’s, 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. Da Bassment|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 Elliot) 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. Cheers 2 U|Playa eventually signed with Def Jam and released Cheers 2 U in 1998. The album, contained the hit single Cheers 2 U, which reached #3 on Billboard’s R&B/ Hip Hop Chart as well as radio favorites Don’t Stop The Music and Ms. Parker. During it’s run, the video for Cheers 2 U (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DrhPErAbfY) made history by becoming the most requested video on Black Entertainment Television (BET). Bittersweet, LLC.|Because of the changing climate of the record business, and the disbandment of Playa, Smoke E. Digglera formed his Bittersweet, LLC. record company in 2000. Along with his own solo projects, Bittersweet, LLC. is home to G.No aka The Latin Bird, who is a Latin & Blues male artist from France & KRISTI Xi, an R&B / Pop female artist from Cardiff-Wales, UK. Solo Career|Along with numerous writing and production projects, Smoke E. Digglera began releasing solo material in 2006. His first solo album, Personal, Pain, & Pleasure and his second full length album, Sittin’ On A Goldmine was released that year. 2009 saw the release of his third album The Truth In The Booth which included the fan favorite, Angel. Later that year he released R&B The Resurrection Vol. 1, which is a collection of cover songs and originals. In July of 2009, Smoke E. Digglera released two Michael Jackson songs, under EMI & Gracie, in tribute to Jackson following his death. 2009 also saw the release of two more albums It’s About Time: Bout Records Special Edition and Throwback Underground Ruff Mixes. In 2010, he followed up his R&B The Resurrection series by releasing Vol II. He has had involvement in many collaborations with artists as a featured artist/writer/producer and has gained many great reviews. Recent Projects|Beginning in 2010, Smoke E. Digglera began hosting his own weekly artist showcase called Smoke E. Digglera’s Smokin’ Sundays at various venues in Louisville. In April of 2011, he released a single called The Winner. Also in April 2011, Bittersweet, LLC. released the Smoke N Kristi EP, including Bittersweet artist KRISTI Xi, as well as Guard Down feat. Smoke E. Digglera by Bittersweet artist, G.No aka the Latin Bird. In June 2011, Smoke E. Digglera wrote and produced a song for Fortune 500, restaurant giant KFC in honor of Black Music Month. The song and video for Our Music Is Love can be seen on the KFC 360 website. Also, in 2011, Smoke E. Digglera contributed to hip hop star Drake’s sophomore album entitled Take Care. The song Look What You’ve Done, which is a tribute that Drake recorded about his mother, features music written, produced, arranged and performed by Smoke E. Digglera. Musical Influences|Smoke E. Digglera was influenced by traditional gospel, quartet gospel and old school R&B music. His musical heroes include Take 6, Rev. John P. Kee, The Canton Spirituals, Kim Burrell, and Jodeci to name a few. He channels those influences when he writes, records and produces. |
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