Frankie Smith


Franklyn Leon Smith was an American funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter. He was best known for his 1981 single "Double Dutch Bus".

Career

He went to college in Tennessee for elementary education with a minor in music. He became a writer for funk and soul artists such as the O'Jays and The Spinners. In 1972 he would record for Paramount, releasing a single called "Double Dutch" under the name Franklin Franklin, but the record failed to become a hit. He was also influential in the careers of the rappers Tone Loc, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg.
With his 1981 single "Double Dutch Bus", released by WMOT Records, Smith popularized a nonsensical form of slang, in which "iz" is placed in the middle of a word, or the last letters of a word are replaced with "-izzle". The style became part of hip-hop slang, and was popularized by rappers Snoop Dogg and E-40. The style today holds a place in popular slang.
"Double Dutch Bus" has been sampled frequently in hip-hop, including Snoop Dogg's "Snoop Dogg " and Missy Elliott's "Gossip Folks". Both records were produced by Timbaland. Smith's single "Double Dutch Bus" is featured in the 2008 Disney movie College Road Trip, starring Martin Lawrence and Raven-Symoné.
A native of Philadelphia, Smith once applied to be a bus driver for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which operates Philadelphia's public transit system, but SEPTA turned him down. The "Transpass" referred to by Smith in "Double Dutch Bus" is an actual weekly or monthly fare pass issued by SEPTA.

Death

Smith died in Philadelphia on March 8, 2019; he was 65–66 years old.

Discography

Albums