Page 47 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

From Rapper to Actor
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his first millions, he was stopped on many occasions by
police who were suspicious seeing a person of his race
and age behind the wheel of a luxury car.
One particular episode focuses on Uncle Phil’s
background. When Phil’s parents visit from their home in a
backwoods part of North Carolina, they embarrass the
dignified judge with a story about the pet pig he owned as a
child. The point of the episode was that even though Uncle
Phil was now wealthy, he still had plenty to tell Will about
growing up poor and black.
As with Smith’s music career, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
had its share of critics from the rap community. Fab 5
Freddy, a rapper who hosted a television program titled
Yo! MTV Raps, was especially tough on Smith and The Fresh
Prince for not realistically representing the black experience.
In response, Smith praised the diversity of the
African-American characters on his show: “There are
different types of Black people. And everyone is
represented on the show. We’re showing something
that’s never been shown on television. We’re showing
Black-on-Black prejudice. It’s more of a class thing. My
aunt represents the middle. Her husband is snooty and a
Black Republican.”9
Smith was careful not to put down the specific rap artists
who criticized him. He said, “I have a lot of opinions. I agree
with things that Chuck D and Public Enemy say, but I have
a different way of expressing myself. I like blending a
message with comedy so it’s subtle.”10