Will Smith Didn’t Curse in His Raps – He was Called SOFT and He HATED it

*Will Smith has said that he hated being called a “soft” rapper for not cursing in his music —  a decision he made after receiving a heartfelt letter from his grandmother before his rap career had skyrocketed.

The Pursuit of Happyness actor, who caused controversy after slapping Chris Rock across the face at the Academy Awards in March, spoke candidly about his personal life and his career in an interview with David Letterman’s “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.”

The episode — which can now be streamed on Netflix — was filmed prior to the Oscars incident, where Will recalled his incredibly successful rap career as a member of the hip-hop duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince in the mid-‘80s before venturing out as a solo artist.

Together, the pair released a whopping five albums between 1987 and 1993, with some of their biggest hits including Summertime, Parents Just Don’t Understand, and Boom! Shake the Room. And though Will was gradually climbing up the charts and gaining a heap of recognition as an up-and-coming rapper, some people had deemed him to be too “soft” for their liking because he didn’t use explicit lyrics in his songs.

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When David Letterman noted that the father-of-three and DJ Jazzy Jeff had a lot of humor in their music, Will reacted, saying, “That was really our major distinguishing quality at the time. It was comedy, it was punchlines, it was fun. We stood out in a really good way. We sort of had our own lane.”

Asked whether he felt any pressure to quit music later on in his career, he added, “Not pressure as much as it was always that I was soft. I hated that, being called soft.”

Will then explained how receiving a letter from his grandma in his teenage years was what ultimately led him not to pursue a rap career filled with explicit-driven lyrics.

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