Will Smith
Birth: September 25, 1968
Location: Will Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His rapping career began in Philadelphia when he was just 16 and when he met "DJ Jazzy Jeff" at a party. After rapping, Will Smith switch roles from a rapper to an actor in the TV show The French Prince of Bel-Air. Will Smith talks about growing up in Philadelphia, "It was probably 50 percent Orthodox Jewish. One neighborhood over were all the pretty little Muslim girls. Mine was a Baptist household, and I went to a Catholic school. I was surrounded by different religions."
Early Life: At the age of 12, Will Smith began rapping, but later on when he turned 16 is when his rapping career really started. That is when he met a DJ named Jeff Townes at a party and became friend with him and together they became rappers. The birth of Will Smith's career started when he became a rapper known as "The Fresh Prince" alongside with his friend "DJ Jazzy Jeff." At the age of 18 after a release of the song "Girls ain't nothing but trouble" it hit the billboards and Will Smith became a successful millionare at his young age. Growing up in the west of Philadelphia, Will talks about what it was like growing up in his neighborhood as a young kid, "My school was 90 percent white, but 90 percent of the kids I played with were black. So I got the best of both worlds. I think that is where my comedy developed. In black neighborhoods, everybody appreciated comedy about real life. In the white community, fantasy was funnier. I started looking for the jokes that were equally hilarious across the board, for totally different reasons."Two years later after Smith's rapping career, he switches roles from being a rapper to a actor in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Contributions and Significance: Will Smith is important to American History because he was an average boy who reached for his dreams and started off by doing what he enjoyed doing. He started off as a young teenage rapper and then boosted higher up as an actor in a comedian sitcom. He is a history maker because he significantly influenced young people in the 1980-1990s. In his days as a rapper, Will Smith was a rapper that did not curse like other rappers at the time would and would send positive messages to young people of his time through his raps. In a interview article on Will Smith's movie 'Seven Pounds' Will talks about choices in life and filming,"I make choices in my life after working on this film. I found myself walking down the stairs and it's raining, and I found myself grabbing extra-hard on the railing. Just think, one slip — and that's it. You have to be conscious. You don't have control after you've set these dominoes in motion. Your control point is before you make this crucial mistake."
Today's Impact: Today, Will Smith continues to star in movies and play in films. He has a big impact on the world today. He is a very famous and known actor that goes as back as to the 1970-1980s. According to Dosomething, "Will Smith is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office." Also according to Dosomething, he is "Newsweek named him the most powerful actor on the planet. And in December of 2008, he was selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 by ABC. Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globes, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammys." These contributions marks Will Smith one very successful African-American in the acting and music industry. Since Will Smith is recognized for much of his work, he will go down in history for many generations, whether its from his old-rapping days to his famous comedy sitcom to the many movies he has starred in.
Why You Chose this History Maker: I chose Will Smith because I have watched many of the movies he played in and I enjoy watching his old sitcom he acted in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and because my parents also remember watching that sitcom when they were kids growing up in the 1980s. My parents who were born in the late 1970s also recall when they were young, hearing his rap music. This shows the significance of impact and how Will Smith has grown over the years because he is known for his success. I also chose Will Smith because I believe he will be a famous known-actor throughout history and will continue to be recognized for his achievements.
Location: Will Smith was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His rapping career began in Philadelphia when he was just 16 and when he met "DJ Jazzy Jeff" at a party. After rapping, Will Smith switch roles from a rapper to an actor in the TV show The French Prince of Bel-Air. Will Smith talks about growing up in Philadelphia, "It was probably 50 percent Orthodox Jewish. One neighborhood over were all the pretty little Muslim girls. Mine was a Baptist household, and I went to a Catholic school. I was surrounded by different religions."
Early Life: At the age of 12, Will Smith began rapping, but later on when he turned 16 is when his rapping career really started. That is when he met a DJ named Jeff Townes at a party and became friend with him and together they became rappers. The birth of Will Smith's career started when he became a rapper known as "The Fresh Prince" alongside with his friend "DJ Jazzy Jeff." At the age of 18 after a release of the song "Girls ain't nothing but trouble" it hit the billboards and Will Smith became a successful millionare at his young age. Growing up in the west of Philadelphia, Will talks about what it was like growing up in his neighborhood as a young kid, "My school was 90 percent white, but 90 percent of the kids I played with were black. So I got the best of both worlds. I think that is where my comedy developed. In black neighborhoods, everybody appreciated comedy about real life. In the white community, fantasy was funnier. I started looking for the jokes that were equally hilarious across the board, for totally different reasons."Two years later after Smith's rapping career, he switches roles from being a rapper to a actor in the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Contributions and Significance: Will Smith is important to American History because he was an average boy who reached for his dreams and started off by doing what he enjoyed doing. He started off as a young teenage rapper and then boosted higher up as an actor in a comedian sitcom. He is a history maker because he significantly influenced young people in the 1980-1990s. In his days as a rapper, Will Smith was a rapper that did not curse like other rappers at the time would and would send positive messages to young people of his time through his raps. In a interview article on Will Smith's movie 'Seven Pounds' Will talks about choices in life and filming,"I make choices in my life after working on this film. I found myself walking down the stairs and it's raining, and I found myself grabbing extra-hard on the railing. Just think, one slip — and that's it. You have to be conscious. You don't have control after you've set these dominoes in motion. Your control point is before you make this crucial mistake."
Today's Impact: Today, Will Smith continues to star in movies and play in films. He has a big impact on the world today. He is a very famous and known actor that goes as back as to the 1970-1980s. According to Dosomething, "Will Smith is the only actor in history to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office." Also according to Dosomething, he is "Newsweek named him the most powerful actor on the planet. And in December of 2008, he was selected as one of America’s top ten most fascinating people of 2008 by ABC. Smith has been nominated for four Golden Globes, two Academy Awards, and has won multiple Grammys." These contributions marks Will Smith one very successful African-American in the acting and music industry. Since Will Smith is recognized for much of his work, he will go down in history for many generations, whether its from his old-rapping days to his famous comedy sitcom to the many movies he has starred in.
Why You Chose this History Maker: I chose Will Smith because I have watched many of the movies he played in and I enjoy watching his old sitcom he acted in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and because my parents also remember watching that sitcom when they were kids growing up in the 1980s. My parents who were born in the late 1970s also recall when they were young, hearing his rap music. This shows the significance of impact and how Will Smith has grown over the years because he is known for his success. I also chose Will Smith because I believe he will be a famous known-actor throughout history and will continue to be recognized for his achievements.