Frankie Smith is a funk musician and R&B/soul songwriter.

Smith is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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. He has also been influential in the careers of the rappers Tone Lōc, 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 (place becomes plizace) or the last letters of a word are replaced with "-izzle" (sure becomes shizzle). The style became part of hip-hop slang, and was popularized by rappers Snoop Dogg (who is often mis-credited for Smith's originality) and E-40. The style today holds a place in popular slang.