Melvin Harris

"Melvin Harris" is also known as "Big Smoke"

Melvin Harris or "Big Smoke" is a main character in the Grand Theft Auto game, San Andreas. Long-time family friend of Carl Johnson and is a high-end member of the Grove Street Families.

Background
Big Smoke is extremely overweight and is aiming to set up the Loco Syndicate at the request of the C.R.A.S.H unit, in San Fierro with Ryder. Sweet refuses to take part, saying that it would damage the hood.

The Grove Street Families
After the private dealings with Ryder, Big Smoke is evidently disloyal to the Grove Street Families; he moved out of Grove Street to live in a new home in Idlewood - Ballas territory - and there is suspicion that he paid for the house with drug money, despite his insistence that it was money from his aunt. In addition, Big Smoke has, on occasion, showed little interest in defending or aiding the gang, as seen in the mission "Drive Thru" when the rest of the gang was shooting at a Ballas car that had attacked them, Smoke was in the back seat of Sweet's car eating fast food. In "Cleaning the Hood", he talks with Sweet about their differing stances on street drugs; he appears to be trying to convince Sweet that drug dealing (with the money and power that come along with it) would be good for the Families. Big Smoke would also be seen dragging himself into conflict with other non-native gangs, including the Russian Mafia. Furthermore, Frank Tenpenny and his clique show up at Big Smoke's house during the beginning of several missions, suggesting familiarity, although Big Smoke claims each time that they are attempting to extract information from him. Big Smoke claims to have had a cousin, killed by Russians after "the wall came down", however he calls the cousin "Mary", and when they go to pick "her" up big smoke says "A big fresh bud right from the plantation" and asks some Vagos for his "Weedo", it is clear that his cousin is Marijuana. Big Smoke also has a unuiqe sense of humour calling a glass bottle a "Little glass Balla fool" and shooting it in the mission "Nines and AK's".

Betrayal and the Ballas
His true nature was revealed when he turned his back from the gang, having been seen along with Ryder collaborating with the Ballas and C.R.A.S.H., and appeared to be linked, along with Ryder, to the killing of Carl's mother. With the prospect of power, money, and fame in the drug business too great for Big Smoke to resist, he goes on to establish a drug delivery venture with the Loco Syndicate in San Fierro with the help of the Ballas, transporting the merchandise and money between Los Santos and San Fierro, as well as running several drug manufacturing factories in both San Fierro and Los Santos. It is also revealed during certain WCTR news that he becomes OG Loc's manager and that he tries to be a "philanthropic" man by helping the defavorized streets and cleaning them from drugs, which is an obvious lie.

After this is revealed, Big Smoke most likely moves into his new "drug pallace" and makes the calls from there. It is possible to intercept Big Smokes "cargo" when it is being delivered from San Fierro.

Death
In the final mission of the game, "End of the Line", Carl enters Big Smoke's remaining drug factory (and home) in Los Santos, amid a citywide riot, to confront Big Smoke, and ends up killing him. As Big Smoke lies dying on the floor, he at first admits feelings of guilt to CJ, saying he "got addicted to the money, the power...", but that he can't help his own greedy nature, saying "I just see the opportunity...", and finally proclaims that though he is gone, his name will stay in history forever and utters his last words before dying: "When I'm gone, everyone gonna remember my name...BIG SMOKE!". CJ feels sorrow for the decline of Big Smoke's values, uttering very silently to himself "Damn, man... what a waste...".

Voice Work
Big Smoke is voiced by Clifton Powell, winner of several NAACP awards. Powell has been acting since 1981, starring in such films as "Menace II Society" (1993).