Beatboxing is one of those fun skills that always come in handy when you want to lighten up the mood. Many A-list stars, including Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake, can do it with ease – but they’re not the only ones!
Will Smith can beatbox, and he showed off this talent while starring on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. This hit series featured several memorable beatboxing scenes, and the famous actor demonstrated his skill in numerous interviews after this show wrapped up.
“The Fresh Prince” Beatboxing
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air introduced us to many of Will Smith’s talents, and beatboxing just happened to be one of them. His beatboxing scenes often featured props, making the whole thing even more fun and hilarious.
Smith showed off his beatboxing talent in the very first episode of this hit sitcom. While attending a formal dinner party, fancy glasses caught his eye, and he used his cutlery to make some noise. He was creating beatboxing noises while clinking his cutlery, but other dinner guests weren’t exactly wowed by his secret talent.
The most iconic beatboxing scene, however, was featured on the final season of The Fresh Prince. The episode titled “Breaking Up is Hard to Do (Part 1)” showed Will’s character using cat and dog toys to perform a fun beatboxing song, in an attempt to apologize to Ashley. She wasn’t impressed, and didn’t feel especially forgiving afterwards, but the viewers certainly were.
Once a Beatboxer, Always a Beatboxer
Will Smith didn’t leave beatboxing behind once The Fresh Prince wrapped up. He went back to his roots in several of his future projects, starting with Men in Black II. During a scene at the post office, Smith’s character Agent J is seen interacting with aliens in a language that sounds awfully familiar – because they’re beatboxing the whole time!
This wasn’t the only movie where Smith had to show off his beatboxing talent. The same happened in Aladdin, and his take on the timeless tune “Friend Like Me” included rapping and beatboxing sequences. According to the actor Mena Massoud, who played Aladdin in this Disney remake, Smith would often beatbox on the set in an attempt to lighten up the mood.
Will Smith’s love for beatboxing is so well-known, that it’s not rare to see him do it live on air, during interviews and talk show appearances. It’s highly likely he developed this skill long before being cast on The Fresh Prince, since his hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince had an entire song dedicated to beatboxing.
Supporting Other Beatboxers
In addition to being a great beatboxer himself, Will Smith also enjoys discovering other people who share his talent. Adym Evans aka Verbalase seems to be his absolute favorite, and he posted a couple of his beatboxing clips on Instagram, and wrote that he’s “obsessed” with him.
Evans was head over heels after seeing that this Hollywood superstar gave him a shutout, and left a comment on one of his Smith’s reposts: “Words cannot describe how appreciative and grateful I am! Thank you so much Will! I hope someday we can collaborate and do something sick, cool, and funny.”
It didn’t take long for that to happen. Producers of Spanish TV show El Hormiguero thought it would be fun to have the two men meet live on air. Will Smith did an interview with Pablo Motos shortly after sharing Evans’ videos, and the host brought him out to surprise the actor.
Smith served as Evans’ hype man as he showed off his beatboxing abilities, and they performed “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin together. Young beatboxer described this experience as “a dream come true” and thanked Pablo Motos and everyone involved with his show for making it possible.