Will Smith recently resurfaced a clip of him talking to the legendary Rakim about DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince ‘s smash hit “Summertime.” Last year, while backstage at CBS’ A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip Hop , Smith admitted to Rakim that he was trying to sound like him on the record. “I was absolutely trying to sound like you on ‘Summertime,’” he confessed to the rap legend.
“‘Cause I had been screaming all night, and I couldn’t get my ‘happy-go-lucky’ high voice. And then Hula just said, ‘Yo, just gimme that Rakim sh–.’” In the clip, Will also told the story of how the song came about.
The year was 1991 and he and Jeff were already putting the finishing touches on their fourth studio album Homebase when producers Hula and Fingers handed him a CD with a beat sampling Kool & the Gang ‘s classic song “ Summer Madness ” as he was about to head to the airport. He liked the beat so much, he decided to return to the studio to record the song after his flight was delayed, and the rest is history. “Summertime” shot up the charts, peaking at No.
4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991; helped Homebase go platinum; and brought DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince their second Grammy, for best rap performance by a duo or group. The song can still be heard 33 years later wherever there’s summer. See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith) It has long been speculated that the P.