“Now this is a story all about how … my life got flipped turned upside down.” Who doesn’t know the opening lines to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air made its debut to the world on September 10, 1990, as the first Sitcom to star a rapper. It premiered on NBC over 35 years ago. It’s not the first series to feature rappers, that would belong to another rap duo Kid ‘n’ Play. Their animated cartoon debuted just a few days earlier. More on them later!
DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeffrey Townes) & The Fresh Prince (Will Smith) were one of the hot Hip-Hop acts at the time of its premier. How hot do you say? The pair won the first ever Grammy Award for a rap act in 1989 (which they boycotted!)
The series was executive produced by Quincy Jones. It was based on music mogul Benny Medina’s childhood and created by Andy & Susan Borowitz (husband and wife). Conflicting stories claim that Kid n Play were the original leads in mind for the TV series and over on the film side the movie House Party was written with DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince in mind! … Hmmmm.
Besides Will Smith, in his first acting gig, the show also featured veteran actors James Avery (Uncle Phil) and Janet Hubert (Aunt Viv). Daphne Maxwell-Reid, wife of actor-director Tim Reid, replaced Janet in season three. Alfonso Ribeiro (Carlton Banks), Karyn Parsons (Hillary Banks), Tatyana Ali (Ashley Banks), Joseph Marcels (Geoffrey the Butler), and Ross Bagley (Nicky).
**Fun fact** Alfonso Ribeiro was releasing music before DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
The series debuted at a time when Hip-Hop was breaking its way into mainstream television. With the emergence of music television shows like Yo! MTV Raps, on MTV, and Rap City, on BET, Rap & Hip-Hop videos were on cable TV every day. Over on your basic television, the Arsenio Hall Show and In Living Color brought Hip-Hop to an even larger audience. However, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was something totally different. A Hip-Hop star as the lead on a major network was groundbreaking.
This was the start of Hip-Hop artists on television. Heavy D, of Heavy D & the Boyz, was the first rap artist to guest star on a television show (A Different World in 1989).
Soon, you had Queen Latifah on Living Single (Fox). She would also be a guest star on multiple episodes of The Fresh Prince. LL Cool J on In The House (NBC). Alfonso Ribeiro joined the cast after The Fresh Prince ended. Fredro Starr of Moesha (UPN) and Tone Loc in Roc (FOX). By the time The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air left the airwaves for good, it was a normal occurrence to see a Rapper guest starring or even starring in their own TV show.
Many of Will’s friends in Hip-Hop made appearances. Everyone from Boyz II Men, Tevin Campbell, Tyler Collins, and Bell Biv DeVoe to Al B. Sure! stopped by the Banks mansion, mixing in seamlessly with veterans like Quincy Jones, B.B. King, and Isaac Hayes. Sports Hall of Famers such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Isiah Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Bo Jackson, Riddick Bowe, and Evander Holyfield also appeared. TV stars from classics like The Jeffersons, Facts of Life, Diff’rent Strokes, A Different World, Saved By The Bell, Amen, Benson, Soul Train, Family Matters, and The Cosby Show made guest spots as well. Even stand-up comics like Jay Leno, John Witherspoon, George Wallace, D.L. Hughley, and Chris Rock dropped in. On The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, everyone was welcome.
While The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a comedy, it had its fair share of serious episodes throughout its’ six-year run. We see a young Will Smith holding his own with veteran actors and actresses on many occasions which made him into the actor he is today. Including the touching scene of Will breaking down in Uncle Phil’s arms after his father, played by Ben Vereen, leaves him once again. The late James Avery once said in an interview, during that scene he whispered in Will’s ear, “Now that’s acting.”
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince released their biggest hit Summertime in 1991 as season one came to an end. The Fresh Prince, along with In Living Color, lead the way for other 90s Black TV shows like Martin, Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, The Parent Hood, and the Steve Harvey Show.
The show has been in syndication since 1993 and is currently seen on various networks and streaming platforms. All six seasons have been released on DVD.
James Avery passed away in 2013. In recent years, reunions and reboots have come out on this classic series. In 2020, a reunion on HBO Max featured the surviving cast as well as both actresses who played Vivian.
Bel-Air, a dramatic take on the show premiered on Peacock in 2022.
Since the show has gone off air in 1996, Will Smith has become one of Hollywood’s top box office draws. However, the beginning of Will Smith’s rise to stardom can be traced back to a mansion in Bel-Air.
