1. Will Smith: The Fresh Prince

2. Will Smith Born and raised in West PhiladelphiaWest Philadelphia Born on September 25, 1968 Full name: Willard Christopher Smith, Jr. Wrote & Co-wrote Rap songs

3. Education Smith was admitted to a "pre-engineering program" at MIT though he never applied According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."

4. Rap & Hip Hop Music Grew out of the south Bronx in New York City during the 1970’s “Hip Hop” is a lifestyle encompassing music, lifestyle, and art. Originally reflected aspects of life in the black urban inner-city. “Rap” refers specifically to the art of rhythmically declaiming rhymed lyrics over a background of music that is either a straight cover of another popular song or a mixed collage of sound

5. Rap & Hip Hop for Broader Audiences Marked by the 1979 release of “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang The first major leap came in the mid-1980’s propelled by Run-D.M.C. Hip Hop has managed to effectively transform rock music and is now an important part of it’s tradition

6. Early Work Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince The Duo became a trio when they added Clarence “Ready Rock C” Holmes The trio was known for humorous “radio-friendly” songs In 1989 they were awarded the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance, for their song "Parents Just Don't Understand"

7. Early Lifestyle He was a millionaire before the age of 20. Spent lavishly and underpaid his taxes. Smith and his buddies once got Gucci to close the store so they could enjoy a private shopping spree. "Being able to buy anything you want makes you a little crazy," The IRS assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against, and took many of his possessions, as well as garnished his income. Smith was nearly bankrupt when he was approached with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air which launched his acting career.

8. “Parents Just Don’t Understand” Listen for rhythmic declamation of lyrics, electronically manipulated collage of sounds, manipulation of beats for percussive sound. “Men In Black” Listen for: rhythmic declamation of lyrics, electronically manipulated collage of sounds, manipulation of beats for percussive sound, background, pop vocal group. http://youtu.b e/jW3PFC86 UNIhttp://youtu.b e/jW3PFC86 UNI http://youtu.b e/zk4qJ3bzt5 Uhttp://youtu.b e/zk4qJ3bzt5 U

9. His most recent album is “Lost and Found” and was released in 2005 He has become politically involved, and has donated to many charities. Is better known for his acting career, but has released 4 original albums on his own, 5 with DJ Jazzy Jeff, and 4 compilation albums.

10. References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Smith American Music A Panorama: Fourth Concise Edition Pgs:135-137 http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000226/bio http://www.people.com/people/will_smith