Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Will Smith performs Fresh Prince track 'Summertime' on The Late show with Stephen Colbert

He recently played Miami while promoting Suicide Squad

Jack Shepherd
Wednesday 03 August 2016 08:47 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

In recent weeks, Will Smith has been dipping into his back catalogue somewhat, performing the track “Miami” at a Suicide Squad party.

While promoting the film on The Late show with Stephen Colbert, Smith went further back into his career, all the way to 1991 when he was best known for being The Fresh Prince alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff.

During a commercial break, Colbert’s band began a jazzy rendition of “Summertime”, the Grammy-award winning summer anthem, with Smith obliging them by picking up the microphone and rapping for the adoring audience.

There have been rumours about Smith returning to his Fresh Prince days for some time, with the actor/rapper previously saying he was hoping to tour in the summer with Jazzy Jeff; something that unfortunately has yet to transpire.

Earlier this year, Smith said he’s written "six or seven tracks that I really, really like. I’m just trying to get the ideas to come out right.”

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince grew to worldwide fame in the late 1980s, winning the first Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989 for their track “Parents Just Don’t Understand”.

The duo split but both continued with solo careers, Smith having phenomenal success with the song “Switch” while DJ Jazzy Jeff went on to become a respected underground DJ - his most recent work includes doing scratches and overdubs for the film Straight Outta Compton.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in