Will Smith has been a Hollywood star for more than three decades and a rapper for less than one. Yet the latter is still missed dearly.

Back When 4-Time Grammy Winner Will Smith Talked About Being the “Illegitimate artist” of the Hip Hop Community

A genre whose foundations were laid by people who breathed, lived, and wrote
struggle so happened to be dominated by black people- Hip Hop. And Will Smith
was chafing at the bit to make his name with those he considered his own, so
much so that he filled his self-titled rap book with profanities big and small
at the age of twelve, only to be schooled by his grandmother. This zeal towards
rap and the promise to “uplift others” that he gave to his grandmother, is what
gave the rap industry its first Grammy award-winning rapper.

Smith brought to the surface raps that were devoid of profanities and induced
with humor, something that its listeners found fresh, as promised by his name.
But for all the validation that he brought, Will Smith was a Mowgli in the
jungle (hip-hop version).


WILL SMITH ON BEING TREATED LIKE THE BLACK SHEEP

The Fresh Prince started as early as eighteen and won his first Grammy at the
age of twenty for ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand‘. This achievement, however,
was not celebrated to the nines much like any achievement that Will Smith added
to the rap industry. While he is remembered for the life he brought now, the
star recalled in his memoir titled Will how he was considered an “illegitimate
artist” because he was “not a gangster” and didn’t “sell drugs.”

> Will Smith have many hits and still the first rapper who won a Grammy in 1989
> people don't praise him enough for his musical carrer because he had a good
> image unlike many hip hop artists of that era https://t.co/pHBnAAdlHg
> [https://t.co/pHBnAAdlHg]
> 
> — Bella (@livana2) February 22, 2023
> [https://twitter.com/livana2/status/1628257576780537858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]



Rap, at that time, was considered a weapon of power for those who had to fight
an uphill battle from the moment they were born. And given that Smith had been
brought up in a middle-class household with educated parents, his music was
deemed as “soft, whack, corny” by his peers.

ALSO READ: What Happened When Kanye West Pushed Will Smith to Rap Again?
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-what-happened-when-kanye-west-pushed-will-smith-to-rap-again/]

The promise to his grandmother
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/will-smith-in-daves-netflix-show-reveals-why-he-never-cursed-in-any-of-his-music-records-but-does-it-matter-after-slapgate/],
and the top ranking on the Billboard charts, helped in his pursuit of making fun
rap songs. But for all the great songs he gave the world, Smith has not made a
return to rap in decades.


WHY DID THE FRESH PRINCE QUIT?

The name, Will Smith, is now tied to the actor who wreaked havoc at the box
office and also at the 94th Academy Awards. Despite Fresh Prince having 4 Grammy
awards and a treasure box of great music, he has come to be known as his own
parody owing to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which transitioned him into an
actor. And soon enough, Will Smith proved that he wasn’t just good at making
fresh music, but also a virtuoso at acting.



While he never formally quit, as he took on larger-than-life roles, rapping was
pushed to a hobby, with a barely there comeback in 2018. The once-upon-a-rapper
became the definition of a good actor. This is how The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
gave the world one of its most applauded actors at the expense of the Fresh
Prince.

ALSO READ: Will Smith May Just Be the Answer to Why Negative Rap Is Promoted
More Than Positive Rap
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-will-smith-may-just-be-the-answer-to-why-negative-rap-is-promoted-more-than-positive-rap/]

Do you prefer Will Smith as an actor or as a rapper? Let us know in the comments
below.

Aliza Siddiqui

Comment

Back When 4-Time Grammy Winner Will Smith Talked About Being the “Illegitimate artist” of the Hip Hop Community - Netflix Junkie

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Meet Aliza Siddiqui, a Hollywood News reporter at Netflix Junkie. Her love affair with Hollywood began with Anne Hathaway and The Princess Diaries, but it was the thrilling climax of Don’t Look Up that cemented her infatuation with the industry and its filmmaking. Aliza's journey into entertainment reporting began with her time at Otakukart, where she wrote over a thousand articles. Her writing style is cheeky and engaging, as seen in her report "Somewhat Alarmed," where she narrates Jimmy Kimmel's hilarious story of how Jason Bateman tricked him into gecko-sitting. Aliza's ultimate dream is to study and critique films that capture her imagination and the attention of movie-goers worldwide. When she is not busy binge-watching Sacha Baron Cohen movies and The Office, she loves to curl up with a weathered copy of a Khaled Hosseini or Indu Sundaresan book.

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Back When 4-Time Grammy Winner Will Smith Talked About Being the “Illegitimate artist” of the Hip Hop Community - netflix-junkie

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A genre whose foundations were laid by people who breathed, lived, and wrote struggle so happened to be dominated by black people- Hip Hop. And Will Smith was chafing at the bit to make his name with those he considered his own, so much so that he filled his self-titled rap book with profanities big and small at the age of twelve, only to be schooled by his grandmother. This zeal towards rap and the promise to &#8220;uplift others&#8221; that he gave to his grandmother, is what gave the rap industry its first Grammy award-winning rapper.
Smith brought to the surface raps that were devoid of profanities and induced with humor, something that its listeners found fresh, as promised by his name. But for all the validation that he brought, Will Smith was a Mowgli in the jungle (hip-hop version).
<h2>Will Smith on being treated like the black sheep</h2>
The Fresh Prince started as early as eighteen and won his first Grammy at the age of twenty for &#8216;Parents Just Don&#8217;t Understand&#8216;. This achievement, however, was not celebrated to the nines much like any achievement that Will Smith added to the rap industry. While he is remembered for the life he brought now, the star recalled in his memoir titled Will how he was considered an &#8220;illegitimate artist&#8221; because he was &#8220;not a gangster&#8221; and didn&#8217;t &#8220;sell drugs.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Will Smith have many hits and still the first rapper who won a Grammy in 1989 people don&#39;t praise him enough for his musical carrer because he had a good image unlike many hip hop artists of that era <a href="https://t.co/pHBnAAdlHg">https://t.co/pHBnAAdlHg</a>
&mdash; Bella (@livana2) <a href="https://twitter.com/livana2/status/1628257576780537858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rap, at that time, was considered a weapon of power for those who had to fight an uphill battle from the moment they were born. And given that Smith had been brought up in a middle-class household with educated parents, his music was deemed as &#8220;soft, whack, corny&#8221; by his peers.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-what-happened-when-kanye-west-pushed-will-smith-to-rap-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What Happened When Kanye West Pushed Will Smith to Rap Again?</a>
The <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/will-smith-in-daves-netflix-show-reveals-why-he-never-cursed-in-any-of-his-music-records-but-does-it-matter-after-slapgate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promise to his grandmother</a>, and the top ranking on the Billboard charts, helped in his pursuit of making fun rap songs. But for all the great songs he gave the world, Smith has not made a return to rap in decades.
<h2>Why did the Fresh Prince quit?</h2>
The name, Will Smith, is now tied to the actor who wreaked havoc at the box office and also at the 94th Academy Awards. Despite Fresh Prince having 4 Grammy awards and a treasure box of great music, he has come to be known as his own parody owing to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which transitioned him into an actor. And soon enough, Will Smith proved that he wasn&#8217;t just good at making fresh music, but also a virtuoso at acting.
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Messing around in the studio…" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6wGj89GE6aQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
While he never formally quit, as he took on larger-than-life roles, rapping was pushed to a hobby, with a barely there comeback in 2018. The once-upon-a-rapper became the definition of a good actor. This is how The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air gave the world one of its most applauded actors at the expense of the Fresh Prince.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-will-smith-may-just-be-the-answer-to-why-negative-rap-is-promoted-more-than-positive-rap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Will Smith May Just Be the Answer to Why Negative Rap Is Promoted More Than Positive Rap</a>
Do you prefer Will Smith as an actor or as a rapper? Let us know in the comments below.

What Happened When Kanye West Pushed Will Smith to Rap Again?

Will Smith May Just Be the Answer to Why Negative Rap Is Promoted More Than
Positive Rap

WASHINGTON, DC &#8211; JULY 17: Will Smith listens as his wife Jada Pinkett Smith speaks during the &#8220;The Next Ten Years In The Fight Against Human Trafficking: Attacking The Problem With The Right Tools&#8221; committee hearing at the Hart Senate Office Building on July 17, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kris Connor/Getty Images)

&#8220;The Next Ten Years In The Fight Against Human Trafficking: Attacking The Problem With The Right Tools&#8221; Committee Hearing

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Aliza Siddiqui is a Primary Editor at Netflix Junkie. Having written over 1000 articles on Tinseltown updates for NJ, she is a go-to for Hollywood updates, especially covering polarizing figures like Meghan Markle and Kanye West. She now uses her experience in entertainment coverage to maintain quality in the articles.

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Back When 4-Time Grammy Winner Will Smith Talked About Being the “Illegitimate artist” of the Hip Hop Community

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