He’s the first person you see when you step out of that taxi in Ganton. Melvin Harris, better known as Big Smoke, isn't just a meme. He isn't just the guy who ordered two number 9s and a number 9 large. Honestly, he is the most sophisticated, soul-crushing antagonist Rockstar Games ever built. He’s the guy who taught us that the person handing you a controller is sometimes the one planning to stab you in the back.
Growing up with GTA San Andreas Big Smoke felt like having a real older brother figure in the Grove. He was the philosopher. He was the guy who stayed behind to "finish his food" while you did the drive-by. But looking back at the 2004 classic through a modern lens, his betrayal wasn't just a plot twist. It was a tragedy of ambition.
The Clues We All Missed About Big Smoke
When you first play the game, Big Smoke seems like the comic relief. You remember the mission "Drive-Thru," right? While Sweet, Ryder, and CJ are panicking because the Ballas are shooting at them, Smoke is just... eating. We laughed at it. We thought it was just a funny character quirk. But if you pay attention to the dialogue, he’s the only one who doesn't fire a single shot at the Ballas car. Why? Because he was already on their payroll.
Rockstar left breadcrumbs everywhere. His house isn't in Grove Street territory. It’s right on the edge of Idlewood, which is Ballas turf. Think about that for a second. If you were a high-ranking member of a gang, would you live comfortably in the heart of your enemy's neighborhood unless you had a "understanding" with them? He played us. He played CJ, and he played every kid sitting in front of a PS2.
There's this nuance to his character that often gets lost in the "Big Smoke's Order" memes. He wasn't just a greedy guy. He was a man who saw the world changing and realized that Grove Street's "honor code" was a sinking ship. He tells CJ late in the game that he "made it" and that he had to look out for himself. It’s a cynical, brutal take on the American Dream that fits the 1992 Los Santos setting perfectly.
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The Psychology of a Traitor
Smoke is obsessed with his own legacy. Throughout the game, he quotes the Bible and speaks in these grand, sweeping metaphors. He wants to be seen as a visionary. This is why his alliance with C.R.A.S.H. and Frank Tenpenny is so fascinating. Unlike Ryder, who mostly seems like a follower, Smoke is a partner. He helped orchestrate the Green Sabre hit that killed CJ's mother.
That’s the part that still stings. It wasn't just business. It was family.
The brilliance of the writing lies in how he justifies it. Smoke doesn't see himself as a "bad guy." In his mind, he’s a businessman. He’s the one who brought crack cocaine into the city because he saw a market. He stopped caring about the "hood" and started caring about the "empire." If you look at the final mission, "End of the Line," he’s wearing a bulletproof vest and sitting in a dark room, surrounded by money and drugs, completely alone. He became exactly what he thought would make him happy, and it turned him into a paranoid hermit.
Why the GTA San Andreas Big Smoke Betrayal Still Hits Hard
Betrayals in video games are common now. We’ve seen it in Red Dead Redemption, in Modern Warfare, and in The Last of Us. But Smoke was different because the game forced you to bond with him. You drove him to his "meetings." You protected his interests. You listened to his long-winded speeches about how "the streets are cold, CJ."
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He was the emotional core of the early game. When the reveal happens under the Mulholland Intersection, and you see that green Sabre, the realization isn't just a narrative beat—it’s a personal insult to the player.
Breaking Down the Famous Order
Let's talk about the order. You know the one. Two number 9s, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s (one with cheese), and a large soda. For years, fans thought this was just Rockstar being funny. However, speedrunners and lore experts like Vadim M have pointed out that Smoke’s massive order was likely a stalling tactic. By the time the food arrived and he "started eating," the Ballas had time to catch up. He wasn't hungry; he was waiting for the hit to happen.
It’s these layers of intentionality that make Big Smoke GTA San Andreas such a legendary character. He wasn't just a script; he was a performance.
The Legend of the Voice Acting
The late Clifton Powell brought a gravitas to Smoke that shouldn't have worked. He made a guy who looked like a stuffed teddy bear sound like a Godfather. His voice had this rhythmic, almost melodic quality to it. When he tells CJ, "All we had to do, was follow the damn train, CJ!" it’s not just an iconic line of dialogue—it’s a meme that has survived for over two decades. It’s the ultimate expression of his character: shifting the blame onto someone else while he reaps the rewards.
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Smoke represents the death of the 90s gangsta era. He represents the shift from "neighborhood pride" to "corporate greed." By the time you reach the end of the game, San Andreas isn't about the hood anymore. It’s about government conspiracies, jetpacks, and casinos. Smoke stayed behind in his "Crack Palace," a monument to a lifestyle that had already moved on.
Actionable Takeaways for San Andreas Fans
If you're revisiting the game or playing the Definitive Edition, here is how to truly appreciate the Big Smoke arc:
- Watch the "Intro" Movie: If you haven't seen the 20-minute prequel movie Rockstar released on a bonus DVD, find it on YouTube. It shows Smoke and Ryder discussing the deal with Tenpenny before CJ even arrives in Los Santos. It changes everything about how you see their first interaction.
- Ignore the Memes for a Second: Play the mission "Wrong Side of the Tracks" again. Instead of getting mad at the AI, listen to what Smoke says afterward. He’s constantly testing CJ’s loyalty while hiding his own.
- Look at the Portraits: In the final mission, look at the walls of Smoke's palace. He has portraits of himself everywhere. It’s a subtle visual cue of his narcissism and how far he’s fallen from the guy who used to hang out on a porch in Ganton.
- The Colors Matter: Notice how Smoke starts wearing more purple and neutral tones as the game progresses, or how his house is decorated. He was shedding the "Green" of the Grove long before the plot told you he was.
Big Smoke remains the benchmark for how to write a traitor. He wasn't a monster from the start; he was a friend who let his ego and his appetite for power consume him. He’s the reason we still talk about a game that came out in 2004 as if it were released yesterday. He’s the ultimate reminder that in the world of San Andreas, "power" usually comes at the cost of your soul.