Today Will Smith is trending again, but this time for setting the record straight.
Will Lays His Cards On The Table
According to the artist, he has more than a reasonable explanation for keeping his lyrics clean in his early years in hip hop. Furthermore, he’s non-appreciative of being called soft. And the masses were all ears.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Big Will (Fresh Prince)
Will Smith gained global fame in the 80s for his partnership with DJ Jazzy Jeff as an iconic hip hop Duo. At the time, Smith and Jazzy Jeff were hotter than hot and received notable acclaim for what they did in the industry. However, Will has had to settle for more than enough disrespect for the Duo’s squeaky-clean image. In a genre known for its artist with rough around the, edge images and hardcore lyrics, Will and Jazz’s releases were tame in comparison. As a result, he’s received, mad flack.
Will Reveals His Rationale
Not that Will owes anyone an explanation for being himself; it appears he’s felt the time had passed for people to put respect on his name. As a distinguished guest on David Letterman’s show, “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction;” Smith scratched the broken record. Reportedly he told Letterman,
“A letter he got from his grandmother changed everything. Smith said she told him how talented he was and didn’t need to curse to stand out. That was the reason I never cursed in any of my records.”
And we dig that. That is as good a reason as any. If anything, that deserves some respect.
More for Your Consideration
Reportedly, the interview took place before the Oscars incident. And as the record shows, even then, Smith expressed how he disliked being referred to as soft. In further defending his position on the creative choices he made, Will had this to say,
“We stood out in a really good way. We sort of had our own lane … it was always that I was soft. I hated that, being called soft.”
Indeed, there is no denying the words that came out of his mouth. So this brings to reason a recent comeback made by Chris Rock’s following the Oscar debacle. Perhaps Rock’s dig had more venom in it than once thought. In response to a comment Chappelle made after an attack, Rock said,
“I got smacked by the softest nigga that ever rapped.”
Giving Smith’s feelings about the label gives the masses something to mull over.
What’s Next
Regardless, Smith has yet to appear publicly since his confrontation with Rock. So he’s yet to respond to anything that has been said, including the comment made by Rock. According to a source, Smith has been on a spiritual journey. Following the incident at the Oscars, he traveled to India to work on himself. Given his sentiments on Letterman’s show, how Smith will respond to Rock’s statement is yet to be seen. However, we can assume it will certainly be interesting.
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Written by Renae Richardson