Jada Pinkett-Smith has a standout résumé that includes several prominent acting roles, a best-selling book and Wicked Wisdom, the metal band she formed a little more than a decade ago. But she is also in charge of a household bursting with star power. Husband Will Smith needs no introduction, while son Jaden and daughter Willow have already become celebrities thanks to a combination of lineage, acting and musical prowess. The Smith kids often take heat for various reasons — outfits, photographs, crappy movies, etc. — but their mother provides a strong repellant for critics, and said Tupac Shakur loved metal.
"I always say, 'Worry about being respected, never worry about being liked,'" she told Sway on Shade 45. "Because that's the trap. That's where people manipulate you. And so my kids, I did not teach my kids to be liked. I taught them to always live by their truth, and to always respect others and to always reach to be respected.
"And different people will respect different things, but at the end of the day, my kids have the confidence to be who they are. And that is all, as a parent, that Will and I can ask of them, because that is where their power and their strength will come from."
Asked about her own music career, the 43-year-old once again deferred to her kids.
"I want to," she said of making new tunes. "But you know it's difficult because my kids are really growing and expanding as musical artists. With music, you've gotta give 100 percent. Mama doesn't like being a mistress, right? So at this particular point in time, whatever free time I have, I have to be able to lend myself to my kids, to be able to go on tour with them and do that whole thing.
"That's one of the sacrifices — unfortunately — that I have to make in regards to just making that room, 'cause I'll have to be with my kids on the road at some point."
She went on to reference Wicked Wisdom, at which point Sway wondered if Tupac — her former love interest — was rolling in his grave.
Pinkett-Smith quickly set the record straight.
"Pac loved everything," she said, waving her finger. "It just happened that he was talented in rapping, so he knew his lane. So that's where he went, but he loved all kinds of music. And he especially loved rock 'n' roll and metal. Yes he did."
