Page 12 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

Will Smith
12
At home, the Smith household was filled with music.
Everyone in the family sang, and nearly all played an
instrument. Will learned how to play piano from his mother
and became a skilled, self-taught drummer, too.
Throughout 1976, the United States was celebrating its
bicentennial—the nation’s two hundredth birthday.
Americans were filled with patriotic spirit, and many
traveled around the nation visiting famous landmarks. The
Smiths were no exception. The family piled into the car for
a driving trip across the country and back.
Some sights the Smiths took in were Mount Rushmore
in South Dakota, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming,
and the Alamo in Texas. Unlike some children his age, little
Will was not bored by these places. In fact, the trip made a
lasting impression on him. Years later, Smith said, “When
you see something beautiful, something bigger than you,
whether created by nature or man, it changes you, it mellows
you, it changes your attitude toward life.”4
Something else that made an impact on Will was an
outdoor project that he and his brother, Harry, had to do one
year. In their yard was a massive but crumbling brick wall,
about fifty feet wide and sixteen feet high. Willard Sr.
instructed his two sons to replace the entire wall, one brick at
a time. The job included mixing the concrete by hand. At first,
the brothers could not believe what their father expected them
to do. Will later said, “I remember standing there thinking,
‘There is no way I will live to see this completed.’ He wanted us
to build the Great Wall of Philly! I remember hoping that my