Will Smithcan still recall the exact moment he knew he wanted to be an actor.In Will Smith’s new podcastClass of ‘88from Audible and Wondery, the movie star/rapper, 55, dives into hip-hop history, including his own days performing in the duoDJ Jazzy Jeff& the Fresh Prince before transitioning into acting. In thefirst episodeof the podcast that was released on Friday, the Oscar winner opens up about when he realized early on in his music career that he had a knack for being in front of the camera.Smith explains that he got the acting bug on the set of themusic videofor “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the second single off their 1988 sophomore studio albumHe’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff.David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/GettyAlthough Smith was originally nervous about releasing the upbeat song as a single because he “desperately wanted to be respected as a rapper,” creating the campy visual in which he plays a moody teenager and theatrically raps the lyrics ended up being a formative experience.“To help promote the song, Jive [Records] decided to make a video,” theKing Richardstar said on the podcast. “[Producer] Ann Carli brought in a director, Scott Kalvert, who had a cool visual style, and that ultimately became the Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince signature style — bright and colorful with the stylized set covered with graffiti. I rapped straight into camera while an actress playing my mom chased me around with a rolling pin.”He continued, “I think it was during the making of that video that I realized that I loved being on camera.”Carli also reflected on his performance on the podcast. She said that when she and the director were watching the footage back, “We turn to each other and go, ‘Holy crap. This kid is a superstar. This kid, the Fresh Prince, he’s going to be a huge movie star. He’s going to be as big asEddie Murphy.”She added that she ended up telling the duo’s manager at the time,Russell Simmons, about the then rising artist’s on-camera appeal. Carli said, “Russell said to me, very famously, he goes, ‘He may be the nextMalcolm-Jamal Warner, but he ain’t no Eddie Murphy.’”DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/GettySeveral years later, Smith earned his own star vehicle, the beloved sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and earned him two Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a comedy/musical series. Amid the show’s success, he also crossed over into film with starring roles in films like 1993’sSix Degrees of Separationand 1995’sBad Boys.Class of ‘88debuted on Friday and features conversations between Smith and his peers in the late ’80s hip-hop world.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.He and his longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, 58, (whose real name is Jeffrey Allen Townes) open up about their time as a hip-hop duo when the music industry was still discovering that rap could be profitable. In one anecdote, they recalled a time in 1987 when they were supposed to be recording and Smith tried tosaw off the producer’s castfrom broken leg that had healed.Salt-N-Pepa,Queen Latifah, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rakim and Chuck D also appear as guests on the podcast.
Will Smithcan still recall the exact moment he knew he wanted to be an actor.
In Will Smith’s new podcastClass of ‘88from Audible and Wondery, the movie star/rapper, 55, dives into hip-hop history, including his own days performing in the duoDJ Jazzy Jeff& the Fresh Prince before transitioning into acting. In thefirst episodeof the podcast that was released on Friday, the Oscar winner opens up about when he realized early on in his music career that he had a knack for being in front of the camera.
Smith explains that he got the acting bug on the set of themusic videofor “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the second single off their 1988 sophomore studio albumHe’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper.
The Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff.David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
David Corio/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Although Smith was originally nervous about releasing the upbeat song as a single because he “desperately wanted to be respected as a rapper,” creating the campy visual in which he plays a moody teenager and theatrically raps the lyrics ended up being a formative experience.
“To help promote the song, Jive [Records] decided to make a video,” theKing Richardstar said on the podcast. “[Producer] Ann Carli brought in a director, Scott Kalvert, who had a cool visual style, and that ultimately became the Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince signature style — bright and colorful with the stylized set covered with graffiti. I rapped straight into camera while an actress playing my mom chased me around with a rolling pin.”
He continued, “I think it was during the making of that video that I realized that I loved being on camera.”
Carli also reflected on his performance on the podcast. She said that when she and the director were watching the footage back, “We turn to each other and go, ‘Holy crap. This kid is a superstar. This kid, the Fresh Prince, he’s going to be a huge movie star. He’s going to be as big asEddie Murphy.”
She added that she ended up telling the duo’s manager at the time,Russell Simmons, about the then rising artist’s on-camera appeal. Carli said, “Russell said to me, very famously, he goes, ‘He may be the nextMalcolm-Jamal Warner, but he ain’t no Eddie Murphy.’”
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Several years later, Smith earned his own star vehicle, the beloved sitcomThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996 and earned him two Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a comedy/musical series. Amid the show’s success, he also crossed over into film with starring roles in films like 1993’sSix Degrees of Separationand 1995’sBad Boys.
Class of ‘88debuted on Friday and features conversations between Smith and his peers in the late ’80s hip-hop world.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
He and his longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, 58, (whose real name is Jeffrey Allen Townes) open up about their time as a hip-hop duo when the music industry was still discovering that rap could be profitable. In one anecdote, they recalled a time in 1987 when they were supposed to be recording and Smith tried tosaw off the producer’s castfrom broken leg that had healed.
Salt-N-Pepa,Queen Latifah, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Rakim and Chuck D also appear as guests on the podcast.
source: people.com
