Frankie Smith

• Name — Frankie Smith • Birth Name — Franklyn Leon Smith • Born — January 29, 1940 • Birthplace — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. • Died — 8 March 2019 • Place of death — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Genre — R&B, soul, funk, disco, old-school hip-hop • Occupation — Singer, songwriter • Instruments — Vocals, keyboards • Years Active — 1979–2019 • Label — Paramount, WMOT, Amstate • Associated Acts — The O'Jays, The Spinners

Smith 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 it 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 (from his song "Slang Thang", 1981 WMOT, Records), in which "iz" is placed in the middle of a word (for example, the word "place" becomes "plizace"), or the last letters of a word are replaced with "-izzle" ("sure" becomes shizzle). A type of infix, it found greater popularity later on in hip hop and rap with its usage by Snoop Dogg.

Smith died in Philadelphia on March 8, 2019, at the age of 79. His death was not widely reported.

• 1981: Children of Tomorrow • 2006: Frankie Smith and His World Wide Party Crew

• 1980: "Double Dutch Bus" (#30, US) • 1980: "Double Dutch" • 1981: "The Auction" • 1981: "Teeny-Bopper Lady" • 1982: "Double Dutch Bus II" • 1982: "Yo-Yo Champ (From Mississippi)" • 1985: "Slapp Ya Thigh" • 1985: "Congratulations for Graduating"