In a recent interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Will Smith reminisced on his younger days, and opened up about how he stopped swearing after his grandmother found curse words in his "rap book."
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
Will Smith Said He Stopped Swearing After His Grandma Found Curse Words In His 'Rap Book'
If you've ever wondered how Will Smith managed to keep his raps classy af, look no further.
His grandmother is the reason behind his lyrics are so clean and articulate.
During his latest interview with Seth Meyers, Will opened up when asked why, unlike most of his peers, he almost never swears in any of his songs.
Instagram | @willsmith
He began by bringing Will back to when he was 25 years old.
"I know earlier in your career you used to do your own stunts," he began. "You are 25 years older, are you still doing that?"
"When I started, you know, it was like Bad Boys 3 — we're going right back," Will responded. "I don't need no stunt man. I'll do it."
But he admitted that it wasn't long before he found out the hard way that he needed a stunt man.
Instagram | @willsmith
"Three days in I was like, 'Ay, where's my stunt man?'"
"When you revisit a part like this — like you did when you were in your mid-20s," Seth said. "Do you ever think about advice you would give 25-year-old Will Smith?"
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
"I've thought about that," Will answered. "I think that I wouldn't give myself advice, I'd probably ask myself for advice."
"When I was 25 years old, I was so ambitious and I was so driven and I was fearless," Will continued.
"As I've gotten older I've started getting a little bit more fearful."
"There's such a power to naivety," Will said.
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
Gearing the conversation over to Will's rap career, Seth then brought up how brave and bold it was, at the time, that he was a rapper who avoided using curse words.
"One thing you did that was fearless — but maybe didn't look that way to people, you know — I first knew you, obviously, as a hip-hop artist," Seth said.
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
Popular rap music over the last few decades has never shied away from the use of swearing as a form of expression. It's more common, in fact, for rappers not to filter explicit language from their music.
But Will chose a different direction for his rhymes.
"This was at a time where this was not what a lot of people were doing," he continued. "Your lyrics were very clean."
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
"Absolutely," Will quickly replied.
"That choice was a bigger choice than I think it probably looked to people," Seth added.
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
Will then revealed when his rapping career was still in its beginning stages.
"I was 12 years old and I started rapping," he said.
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
"So, I had my rap book, and I was writing my stuff and I had all my little curse words in my rap book."
"And my grandmother found my rap book."
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
Surprise-surprise, Grandma Smith did not like what she found in Will's rap book. But rather than washing his mouth out with soap, she wrote him a note.
“She never said nothing,” Will explained.
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
“Turned to the back page and she said, ‘Dear Willard, truly intelligent people do not have to use words like this to express themselves."
"'Please show the world that you’re as smart as we think you are. Love, Gigi.’"
YouTube | Late Night with Seth Meyers
"I read that, and I was like, ‘[expletive].'"
This is the funniest and most adorable story I've ever heard.
If I ever swore in front of my grandmother as a child, I'm sure she'd do a lot more than write me a note, politely telling me not to do it anymore. I'd say Will got off pretty easy since it ultimately led him to an incredible successful music and acting career!
What do you think of the reason Will Smith avoided swearing as a rapper?
Most Popular
