Why Will Smith's Rap Songs Almost Never Contain Swear Words

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Will Smith revealed the reason why he doesn't curse in his music in 2020. While appearing on "Late Night With Seth Meyers," Smith addressed Meyers' inquiry into his unusually clean lyrics. "I was 12 years old and I started rapping," explained Smith. "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." He continued, sharing that his grandmother flipped to the last page of his notebook and wrote: "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." Ironically, his reaction prompted Smith to reply, "F***" (via E! Online).

Smith told a similar tale during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show." "Is it true that you shocked your granny when you were starting out with your music?" asked Norton. Smith, who thought Norton has said "shot" instead of "shocked," dove into a string of jokes about being a "hardcore rapper," then recounted the actual story. "I wanted to be a rapper, so I had all of my curse words and my four letter words and everything in there," said Smith. After Smith's grandmother chastised him, "From that point, I never put profanity in my rap music."

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