Happy birthday, Will Smith!
Will Smith Bio
Willard Carroll Smith, Jr. (known professionally as Will Smith) was born on September 25, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When Smith was 12 years old, he began to take an interest in hip-hop music and its culture that was prevalent in the East coast part of America at the time, as per All Music. As such, the then-aspiring rapper started to create rhymes on his own while he was a student at a private Catholic school.
When Will was younger, he was deemed to have had the ability to fast talk his way whenever he got in trouble at school. He, thus, established the nickname "Prince" for himself for possessing this asset.
How Will Smith Started His Career in Music and Acting
In 1985, at 16 years old, Smith met local DJ Jeffrey Townes (a.k.a. DJ Jazzy Jeff) at a house party where the latter performed. The meeting paved the way for "Prince" and the DJ to work on their first single called, "Girl's 'Aint Nothing But Trouble" (1986). The release of this single was the opportunity that Smith had to be able to release a complete and official debut album called, "Rock the House" in 1987 under an upstart rap label, Word-Up records. "Rock the House" was a collaboration work between Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Smith proceeded to work on and release a sophomore album titled, ""He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper" in 1988. This music project sold millions of copies, and was the source of multiple hit singles from the two musicians. Smith followed up on the release of a third album in 1989, "And in This Corner."
In 1990, Will made a shift from being a rapper to becoming a television actor, by starring in the NBC sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Will Smith Hits, Accomplishments, and Accolades
Will Smith played a role in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" that strike similarities with his own real life self. This situation propelled the rapper/actor to had achieved the "icon" label during the early 1990's. The said show ran for six seasons. Smith resumed his music collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff in 1991 with a fourth album called, "Homebase." The single, "Summertime" was yielded off this album, and was the source for the two musicians to win a Grammy.
In 1997, Will Smith released his first solo debut album called, "Big Willie Style." The album garnered multi-platinum sales. Hits off this album include "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," "Just the Two of Us", and "Miami."
Read more: Will Smith Birthday Greeting Joke About Jaden Smith Having Kids Didn't Sit Well With People
Will Smith Wife Jada Reminisces a Throwback Memory
The affection between Will Smith and wife, Jada Pinkett, can still be obviously seen even after years of the couple being married. As per Billboard, the rapper/actor's wife showed her admiration for her husband by sharing a lovable throwback video of her and the late iconic rapper, Tupac, lip synching to Will's 1988 single, "Parents Just Don't Understand."
Read more: Will Smith Music Comeback: Actor/Rapper Collabs With 10-Year-Old Bassist [WATCH]
