Will Smith has established himself as a legendary Hollywood A-Lister, but before his fame on the big screen came his first love- rap music. His debut Album Rock The House made him a millionaire before the age of 18. 

Smith began rapping at just 12 years old, where the comedic element of his art began to shine through. The Fresh Prince teamed up with DJ Jazzy Jeff to release their first single ‘Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble’ in 1986.

The next few years were filled with continued success for the young pair. Their raps were known for being humorous and radio-friendly which middle America found safe and entertaining. 

From Rap To TV  

Born in 1968 in West Philadelphia Will had a typical middle-class upbringing. From an early age he was known for his charming personality and quick tongue which became renowned for getting him out of trouble. It was during these early days that he was dubbed with the nickname “Prince”. 

Will rose to fame in the late 1980’s under the name ‘The Fresh Prince’. Throughout the late 1980’s his success continued with the hit singles ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’ and ‘Brand New Funk’. A decade later his popularity skyrocketed when he starred in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In 1988, Will and his producer DJ Jazzy Jeff won their first grammy award for Best Rap Performance. 

In 1990 NBC television network signed Will to a contract to star in the sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ which vaguely mirrored his own life story and lasted for six seasons. Whilst the show ended in 1996, this was certainly not the end of Will’s success. His movie career was just about to take off and over the next two decades, we would see him evolve into one of the richest actors in Hollywood with a net worth at an estimated $350 million. 

Check out the Youtube video below which shows The Fresh Prince accepting his Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.

From Television to To Films

In April 2017, Newsweek called Will “the most powerful actor in Hollywood”. In total, he has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards and has won four Grammys. Forbes has ranked him one of the most bankable stars in the world with 17 of the 21 films he has had a leading role in accumulating gross earnings of over $100 million each. 

From the mid-1990’s, he graduated from the television to the big screen. Some of his most notable films include Men In Black, Hitch and Ali. Will has also starred alongside his son, Jayden in two major productions. The 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness and the 2013 science fiction film After Earth. 

Since the 2005 release of his studio album Lost and Found, Will has largely disappeared from the hip hop scene. In 2018, just after he celebrated his 50th birthday Will shocked his fans by releasing new a new single which is recorded in both English and Spanish.

Whilst Will is now mostly known for his success in acting, his music career is super impressive as well. With four studio albums, eighteen singles, one video album, and twenty music videos The Fresh Prince and his rap skills is what catapulted Will into the spotlight at a young age. By the mid-2000’s Will was either starring or producing multiple movies per year.

This lack of time combined with the much higher earnings he earned from movies caused him to taper off the music scene. Will Smith has been married to his wife Jada Pinkett since 1997. They have two children together and live in Los Angeles, California.

The rate at which he is producing movies may have slowed, but Will has hinted that there are many more years of making movies left in him.