There are so many things fans want to ask Actor Will Smith. For example, we want to know what’s going on with that new woman he’s been photographed with lately? And what possessed him to create a new album? Since Red Table has gone mute, it will be a long time before we get our many questions answered.
But recently Smith visited his native Philadelphia again for a ceremony dedicating a street after him. However, during his thank you speech, he gave the sweetest story solving the mystery behind how he got his other, most notable name from his first years of fame.
The Oscar-winning actor visited his old stomping grounds of the 2000 block of North 59th Street in Philly where the March 26 ceremony was held for the renaming of the street to “Will Smith Way.” In his youth, Smith attended Overbrook High School which is located just a block over.
While donning his alma mater’s varsity jacket, Smith gave his remarks on the dedication but stopped for a moment to pay homage to one of his former sophomore teachers, Miss Brenda Brown, who is partially responsible for what eventually became his brand: The Fresh Prince.
“Mrs. Brown, Brenda Brown, was my first teacher in 10th grade when I walked through these doors. Mrs. Brown’s about 5 feet tall, and she used to walk up in my chest, and she would be like…” Smith said, mocking Brown’s hand gesture to bend down toward her.
“Mrs. Brown was the teacher who started calling me Prince Charming. The name ‘the Fresh Prince’ was coined in [Overbrook High School]. She called me ‘Prince,’ and I added the ‘Fresh’ because it was Hip Hop slang. So, the Fresh Prince. Thank you for that, Mrs. Brown.”
Brown stood in the crowd wearing a proud smile, lifting her walking cane to cheer on her former student. Smith then went on to join DJ Jazzy Jeff in the Hip Hop industry, producing five studio albums between the late 80s and early 90s, donning the rap name “Fresh Prince.”
During that time is also when he starred in NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which got him a Golden Globe nomination. The show concluded after six seasons, launching him into more music and acting endeavors as plain Will Smith.
However, we all have Miss Brown to thank for sparking the inspiration behind the household name of the “Fresh Prince.”