{"id":659401,"date":"2025-03-29T09:25:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-29T06:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/"},"modified":"2025-03-29T09:25:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-29T06:25:14","slug":"big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Willie Style: Will Smith&#039;s Underrated Impact On Hip Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a33788ccee07\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a33788ccee07\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/#He_Helped_Hip_Hop_Go_Mainstream\" >He Helped Hip Hop Go Mainstream<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/#He_Made_Hip_Hop_History_at_the_Grammys\" >He Made Hip Hop History at the Grammys<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/#He_Conquered_TV_as_the_Fresh_Prince\" >He Conquered TV as the Fresh Prince<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/#He_Was_One_of_the_Hottest_Rappers_Movie_Stars_on_the_Planet_At_the_Same_Damn_Time\" >He Was One of the Hottest Rappers &amp; Movie Stars on the Planet (At the Same Damn Time)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/big-willie-style-will-smiths-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop\/#Hes_Paved_the_Way_for_Countless_Rappers_in_Hollywood\" >He\u2019s Paved the Way for Countless Rappers in Hollywood<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/app.hiphopdx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/big-willie-style-will-smith-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"body-copy js-entry-text \" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p>Will Smith is back in the booth, 20 years after his last album <em>Lost and Found<\/em>. In the two decades since, there has been no particular clamor for the Fresh Prince to start spitting again. Fans seemed perfectly h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y watching him shoot bad guys as Detective Mike Lowrey, win an Oscar for <em>King Richard<\/em> and slap Chris Rock for insulting his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. But after a not-so-subtle build-up, Big Willie is back.<\/p>\n<p>Initially surprising fans at Coachella last year when he joined J Balvin on stage to perform \u201cMen in Black\u201d while dressed as Agent J, Smith\u2019s nostalgic comeback coincided with the return of his and Martin Lawrence\u2019s <em>Bad Boys<\/em> franchise.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-player\">\n<div class=\"ad-indicator-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-indicator\">AD<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"border\">\n<div class=\"ad-border-top\">\n<p>AD LOADING&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-border-bottom\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video-player-ad\" id=\"mm-player\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He further teased that he was up to something when he posted a mysterious message on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a> earlier this year, referencing his famous decision to turn down the role of Neo in <em>The Matrix<\/em>. Most fans did not expect the announcement to be the lead single from a new album, let alone one that saw the 56-year-old deliver some of his most ambitious and personal raps yet.<\/p>\n<p>Given his enormous stature as a Hollywood icon, it can often be forgotten that Will Smith has had a huge impact on Hip Hop culture over the last 40 years. There are not many people who can say that while also remaining on top for that length of time.<\/p>\n<p>With his brand new album <em>Based on a True Story<\/em> out today (March 28), <em>HipHopDX<\/em> looks back at Will Smith\u2019s lasting impact on the rap <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"border-radius:12px\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/6Xmk0viXpOgutxl16nchTb?utm_source=generator\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"He_Helped_Hip_Hop_Go_Mainstream\"><\/span><span style=\"color:#000000\"><strong>He Helped Hip Hop Go Mainstream<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Eminem once famously spat: <em>\u201cWill Smith doesn\u2019t have to cuss in his raps to sell records,\u201d<\/em> but it was a philosophy that put the young Philadelphian in good stead. In the mid-1980s, when Hip Hop was still in its infancy as a cultural phenomenon and commercial artform, a teenage Smith (along with DJ Jazzy Jeff) set out his stall as an easily palatable, family-friendly rapper.<\/p>\n<p>Amid controversies ignited by the likes of N.W.A, 2 Live Crew and Ice-T, Will, under his Fresh Prince moniker, opened the door for a wider (and whiter) audience to embrace a genre of music that may have otherwise offended their sensibilities.<\/p>\n<p>Powered by hits like \u201cParents Just Don\u2019t Understand\u201d and \u201cA Nightmare on My Street,\u201d the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff\u2019s 1988 album <em>He\u2019s the DJ, I\u2019m the Rapper<\/em> reached number four on the Billboard 200 and was later certified <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>le platinum. Despite being derided by some purists, what Will and Jeff did was a necessary step for Hip Hop to gain the kind of mainstream acceptance that would turn it into the biggest genre of music in America.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"DJ Jazzy Jeff &amp; The Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don&#039;t Understand\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jW3PFC86UNI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"He_Made_Hip_Hop_History_at_the_Grammys\"><\/span><span style=\"color:#000000\"><strong>He Made Hip Hop History at the Grammys<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Hip Hop has long had a tense relationship with the Grammys. From Kendrick Lamar\u2018s <em>good kid, m.A.A.d city<\/em> controversially losing out to Macklemore\u2018s <em>The Heist<\/em> in the Best Rap Album category in 2013 to the fact that OutKast\u2018s 2003 LP <em>Speakerboxxx\/The Love Below<\/em> was the last (and only) rap album to win Album of the Year (Lauryn Hill\u2018s genre-blending <em>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill<\/em> previously won the prize in 1999), Hip Hop is still the incredibly large elephant in the Grammys committee\u2019s meeting room.<\/p>\n<p>With that being said, Will Smith will forever belong in the history books when it comes to Music\u2019s Biggest Night. He and Jazzy Jeff became the first Hip Hop act to win a Grammy in 1989 when \u201cParents Just Don\u2019t Understand\u201d took home Best Rap Performance, beating out the likes of LL Cool J, Kool Moe Dee and Salt-N-Pepa. The Fresh Prince would go on to win a further three gongs in the 1990s, fending off competition from rappers of greater acclaim such as JAY-Z, The Notorious B.I.G. and Missy Elliott.<\/p>\n<p>Going back to Hip Hop\u2019s friction with the Recording Academy, Smith opted to boycott the 1989 ceremony after he learned that the Best Rap Performance category (which had been introduced that year) would not be part of the televised portion of the show. Joining him and Jazzy Jeff in sitting out the ceremony was LL Cool J, Russell Simmons and Salt-N-Pepa in a powerful show of rap solidarity.<\/p>\n<p>Countless other MCs have since followed suit for similar reasons, from JAY-Z and Eminem to Drake and Lil Wayne.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"He_Conquered_TV_as_the_Fresh_Prince\"><\/span><span style=\"color:#000000\"><strong>He Conquered TV as the Fresh Prince<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Despite the enormous commercial success of <em>He\u2019s the DJ, I\u2019m the Rapper<\/em>, Will Smith found himself in financial hardship in the late \u201980s after some frivolous spending. In his hour of need, he was handpicked to front a sitcom for NBC modeled on his rap persona.<\/p>\n<p>The hit show soon made Smith one of the most famous men in America as he helped usher in a new wave of college prep into Hip Hop fashion and had millions of people rapping along to the show\u2019s iconic theme song. As well as being irresistibly catchy and explaining the premise of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>, the title track also served as a perfect example of Smith\u2019s literal storytelling style that made him particularly popular among suburban Hip Hop fans.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, at the height of the show\u2019s success, the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff unleashed the biggest hit of their careers: \u201cSummertime,\u201d a breezy, feel-good anthem that continues to soundtrack cookouts to this day.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR | Full Intro Theme Song (HD)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NpnQ2oIRgB0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"He_Was_One_of_the_Hottest_Rappers_Movie_Stars_on_the_Planet_At_the_Same_Damn_Time\"><\/span><span style=\"color:#000000\"><strong>He Was One of the Hottest Rappers &amp; Movie Stars on the Planet (At the Same Damn Time)<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>By 1997, Will Smith had ascended to Hollywood\u2019s A-list thanks to box office hits like <em>Bad Boys<\/em> and <em>Independence Day<\/em> and happily graduated from his days as the Fresh Prince. It would have been easy for him to move on from music entirely, but in one of the smartest moves of his career, he combined his talents for <em>Men in Black<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>As well as being one of the most successful movies of the year, the film\u2019s theme song \u2014 Smith\u2019s introduction as a solo artist \u2014 was a wonderfully-plotted piece of synergy that made him one of the most sought-after superstars in the world. \u201cMen in Black\u201d happened to be the perfect vehicle for Smith\u2019s pop sensibilities and ability to craft a danceable hook with some of the daftest rap lyrics ever committed to wax (<em>\u201cLet me see you take a walk with me, just walk with me \/ Come on and make ya neck work\u201d<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p>However, people are still singing it to this day and the international smash was the launching pad for his debut solo album <em>Big Willie Style<\/em>, the most successful of his career. Featuring additional hits such as \u201cGettin\u2019 Jiggy Wit It\u201d and \u201cMiami,\u201d the project is close to achieving diamond status in the U.S., a remarkable feat for a man best known for his work on the big screen.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Will Smith - Men In Black (Video Version)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fiBLgEx6svA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hes_Paved_the_Way_for_Countless_Rappers_in_Hollywood\"><\/span><span style=\"color:#000000\"><strong>He\u2019s Paved the Way for Countless Rappers in Hollywood<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Rappers love the movies. You can hardly go to the cinema in 2025 without seeing a 50 Cent, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Kid Cudi, Common or Queen Latifah on the big screen. But Will Smith was a pioneer in crossover artistry. On his way to becoming one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood history, he understood the importance of the movie soundtrack, with the <em>Bad Boys<\/em> films and <em>Wild Wild West<\/em> featuring Hip Hop-heavy soundtracks that also became successful in their own right.<\/p>\n<p>It would be a move replicated by stars such as Eminem and 50 Cent for <em>8 Mile<\/em> and <em>Get Rich or Die Tryin\u2019<\/em>, respectively, while film franchises like <em>Creed<\/em> and <em>Black Panther<\/em> leaned heavily into Hip Hop tie-ins to tremendous success. That is a testament to Smith\u2019s ingenuity as an innovator and businessman, and why he is now in his fifth decade as an entertainer.<\/p>\n<p>Though he has been the subject of mockery for his complicated marriage, public earnestness and PG-friendly raps, Will Smith is one of the most important figures in Hip Hop and the wider entertainment industry, one who has opened doors for countless Black artists in the sitcom space, for rappers who have branched out into acting and as a Black movie star who has always refused to be put in a box.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/hiphopdx.com\/news\/will-smith-hip-hop-impact-legacy\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Will Smith is back in the booth, 20 years after his last album Lost and Found. In the two decades since, there has been no particular clamor for the Fresh Prince to start spitting again. Fans seemed perfectly happy watching him shoot bad guys as Detective Mike Lowrey, win an Oscar for King Richard and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":659402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/app.hiphopdx.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/big-willie-style-will-smith-underrated-impact-on-hip-hop.jpg?w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[146402,16221],"class_list":["post-659401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-the-fresh-prince","tag-will-smith"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=659401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/659401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/659402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=659401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=659401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=659401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}