Will Smith

American rapper, producer and actor Will Smith was born Willard Carroll Smith Jr. in Philadelphia on September 25, 1968. The artist began rapping at the age of twelve and later worked first as a club DJ. It was during this time that he met music producer Jeff Townes. Together, they produced several albums under the name DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, including Rock the House in 1987 and He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988), which reached No. 4 in the US charts and No. 68 in the UK. The following year, Will Smith and Jeff Townes received their first Grammy Award, followed by their second in 1992. In 1993, the duo also hit the charts in other European countries with the album Code Red. In Germany, Code Red reached number 61, and in Switzerland number 35. His first solo album, Big Willie Style, was released in October 1997, with the single " Men in Black", taken from the film of the same name. The song was a huge success, topping the charts worldwide. In 1999, the album Willenium followed, reaching #16 in the Swiss charts, #20 in Germany and #10 in the UK. Following the Lost and Found album (2005), Smith released the single "Will (Remix)" with Joyner Lucas in 2020. Further collaborations followed, with Russ (Vitale), Big Sean, India Martinez and Polish guitarist Marcin, before the 2025 release of the Christian album Based on a True Story, featuring further guests Jac Ross, Teyana Taylor, The Sunday Service Choir and Jaden.