Melvin "Big Smoke" Harris

Melvin “Big Smoke” Harris is one of the Grove Street crew CJ reunites with when he returns to Los Santos. He is the first old friend CJ sees in the story, and the opening mission is named after him.

Who he is

In “Big Smoke”, CJ finds Smoke at the house, then the two head to the cemetery to meet Sweet and Kendl. GameSpot’s review counts him among the gang’s leaders and calls him long winded. In “Drive-Thru” the crew goes out for food because Smoke is hungry, and Kotaku calls his huge order probably the most famous fast food order in gaming. In “Nines and AKs” CJ drives him to Emmet’s place for a pistol and some shooting practice.

Role in the story

Smoke gives four missions of his own. In “OG Loc” CJ helps him collect Jeffrey “OG Loc” Cross from prison, then chases a man called Freddy across the city. “Running Dog” opens with a run in with the police, and in “Wrong Side of the Tracks” the cops are at Smoke’s house again, which IGN’s guide hints is worth noticing. That mission has CJ riding a bike beside a train while Smoke shoots at Vagos on the roof. “Just Business” ends with Smoke riding a motorbike through a tunnel while CJ fires at the cars and bikes chasing them.

Voice actor

The game’s manual credits Clifton Powell as Melvin “Big Smoke” Harris, and IGN’s cast list agrees.

Spoiler

GamesRadar ranks Smoke and Ryder’s betrayal among the best moments in the series. At the end of “The Green Sabre” CJ sees his old friends working with the Ballas and the corrupt cops, in the green Sabre used in the attack that killed CJ’s mother. GamesRadar notes the clues, such as Smoke moving to a new home in Idlewood, Ballas territory.

In the final mission, “End of the Line”, CJ storms Smoke’s crack factory floor by floor and fights him in a darkened room. Frank Tenpenny then arrives, takes the money and sets the building on fire.

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Updated October 27, 2026