Will Smith

Starting out performing at house parties in Philadelphia, Will Smith - using the moniker "Fresh Prince" - teamed up with DJ Jazzy Jeff to become one of the first hip hop acts to cross over into mainstream pop in the 1980s and early 90s. Backed by radio and MTV because of their clean-cut, cheery image, they scored hits with Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble, Summertime and the UK Number 1 Boom! Shake The Room and toured with Run DMC and Public Enemy. Spotted by Quincy Jones, Smith became a teen idol on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before moving to Hollywood to star in the blockbuster movies Bad Boys, Independence Day and I Robot. Now performing under his own name, the soundtrack single Men In Black topped the UK charts, with Gettin' Jiggy Wit It and Wild Wild West becoming US Number 1s. Albums Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999) and Lost And Found (2005) were huge hits, but Smith has subsequently concentrated on acting, taking more serious roles in Ali, I Am Legend and The Pursuit of Happyness.

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