Davood Ali Asgari, better known by his stage name Locksmith, (born September 29, 1984), is an American rapper from Richmond, California.
[4][6] Between the 80s and 90s, his sister, who is a decade his senior,[6] rapped as MC Spice and had opened up for the likes of E-40, Blackalicious and Digital Underground.
[7] Locksmith went to De Anza High School in Richmond,[9] and attended University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated in African American Studies.
[14] Locksmith then made it to the "elite eight" live telecast on May 17, judged by Method Man, Ludacris and Kevin Liles.
[4] In December 2002, Locksmith and Balance appeared for the entire duration of a Saturday night broadcast of The Wake Up Show on KMEL, hosted by Sway Calloway, King Tech and DJ Revolution.
Astonished by their performances, Sway commented, "These cats don't sound like regular Bay Area dudes."
"[17] Led by The Frontline and Balance at the forefront, the New Bay movement included The Team, Mistah FAB, The Federation, Certified Ryders, San Quinn, F.E., and Esinchill.
[18] It gained further momentum in 2003 following Locksmith's appearance on MTV's MC Battle in which he shouted out the "New Bay" in front of a nationwide audience.
Locksmith has toured with Joe Budden, Murs, R.A. the Rugged Man, Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks and collaborated with producers 9th Wonder and Ski Beatz.