Smokio released “SMOKIO – KUDDAH (Reply Diss) O.M.V” and it passed one million views within 24 hours, setting off a fast-moving debate among Sri Lankan rap and hip-hop listeners about diss tracks, boundaries, and what a response is supposed to sound like.
The release followed a direct diss aimed at Kevin Smokio, known publicly as Smokio. The sequence of events unfolded over several days, when Smokio publicly mentioned another artist by name in “CAIRO x SMOKIO – T.O.X.I.C (විසකුරු)”. After that mention, the other artist responded with a full diss track directed at Smokio. It was loaded with accusations that didn’t sit right with many listeners. Lines crossed. Family names were dragged in, including Smokio’s brother, Ramesses Reezy. Fans waited. Some expected silence. Others expected chaos.
Within a day, Smokio responded with “KUDDAH.” The track was positioned as a reply diss and released with a video. The pace of the response became part of the story, partly because listeners had little time to sit with the initial diss before the reply arrived, and partly because the reply immediately became the bigger conversation.
Smokio later addressed the situation directly during a live session. He told fans he found the situation hilarious and said he has no intention of damaging the other artist’s career. At the same time, he suggested there are limits to how far the situation should be pushed. He tied that approach to experience, noting he has been in the industry for 15 years, and framed his response as a creative choice rather than an attempt to escalate.
That framing lines up with how Smokio describes his position in Sinhala hip-hop more broadly. He performs under the stage name SMOKIO and says he is from Piliyandala, Colombo, which he refers to as “Billiondala.” His involvement in Sinhala hip-hop developed through long-term participation in the local music scene rather than through a single breakout moment. He also describes his journey as something rooted in who he is, rather than something he adopted for a moment.
When the diss track aimed at him dropped, Smokio said his first reaction was simple: he laughed. He described himself as ready for it and “always game.” He also placed the diss within culture, not as a personal rupture. To him, it was “pure hip-hop culture,” and he said he was expecting something like it. The decision to respond, he said, wasn’t about impulse. It was strategic, and he wanted to demonstrate what a proper reply diss should sound like.
The timeline of the record reflects that intent. Smokio said writing and recording took about two hours. After recording, the team went out and shot the video immediately. He described his mindset while writing as calm and cool, with no pressure and no anger. He also flagged specific lines as personally important, saying some bars addressed his brother and his wife, and those sections mattered to him.
The early performance numbers then became part of the narrative. Beyond the first-day milestone, Smokio said the track crossed two million views within three days, which he did not expect to happen that quickly. On distribution, he pointed to YouTube as the strongest platforms, with other platforms following after momentum is built. He said trending and charting in Sri Lanka felt good, and that the track trending globally stood out as a separate development.
Public reaction, based on Smokio’s account, split along expectations about tone. He said most listeners vibed with it, while some had mixed feelings because they expected more aggression. He also said feedback from other artists and industry figures was mostly positive, and that the moment led to new opportunities. He believes it changed how he is viewed in the local scene, because listeners “saw a side” of him they had not seen before.
Smokio’s explanation of diss culture stays consistent across those points. In Sinhala hip-hop, he defines diss culture as lyrical competition, built on skill, confidence, and respect. He argues that diss tracks can push the culture forward in Sri Lanka because that competitive pressure forces artists to improve and helps explain why the scene has grown to its current level.
Behind the scenes, Smokio credited Adeesha Beats with mixing and mastering. He said he chose Adeesha because he trusts him and finds him fast and reliable. He also noted that Adeesha made the beat itself and that they have worked together often, which helps with balancing the vocals and landing the intended tone. Smokio added a detail that shaped how listeners read the release: Adeesha sent him the beat a day before the diss even dropped, and Smokio says he immediately tagged it mentally as the beat he would use if he ever had to do a reply diss.
For visuals, Smokio said Reezy shot the footage, Wagmee handled editing and color grading, and the rest of the team supported the release. He described the video concept as unforced: moving around the block while the team stayed in motion. He and Wagmee stayed in close contact throughout the editing process. Smokio believes the visuals contributed to the track’s fast growth, not as a separate trick, but as part of a three-part package: lyrics, audio, and visuals working together.
He also took time to frame the release as a team project. Smokio said the creative team was important and treated the release like it was their own. He added that the work was done “for the culture,” and that nobody slept until the song was out.
As for what comes next, Smokio did not treat the situation as definitively closed. He said he is “excited either way” and that he enjoys competition, leaving room for another response if it happens. Outside the diss moment, he said he is working on his next album, a few features, a movie project, and mentoring new rappers. Long term, he said, his goal is to take Sinhala hip-hop global.
If there’s one takeaway he wants younger artists to hold onto, it’s simple. Be real. Respect the culture. Authenticity lasts longer than noise. And with “KUDDAH,” he showed that sometimes, the calmest reply makes the loudest impact.