Will Smith has finally admitted to imitating Rakim on "Summertime," the Oscar-winner's 1991 hit single with DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Smith made the revelation Sunday night after CBS' A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop. While hanging with Rakim backstage, Will confirmed he was biting the God MC's style on the iconic track.
“I was absolutely trying to sound like you on ‘Summertime,’" Will said, coaxing an uncharacteristic smile out of the 55-year-old OG. “'Cause I had been screaming all night, and I couldn’t get my happy-go-lucky high voice. And [producer] Hula just said, ‘Yo, just gimme that Rakim shit.'"
During a 2016 conversation with HipHopDX, Rakim rejected the long-discussed rumor that he ghostwrote "Summertime." The song was released as the lead single from DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's 1991 album Homebase, and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Nah, it was ironic that me and Eric B. had sampled it, and we had it ready to go," the Long Island rapper told HipHopDX. "But when they came out with it, a lot of people thought it was me because of the style [Will] used. But it was one of those things where that was them. I didn’t write it. That was Will and Jeff."
Rakim added, "It was something he had on the back burner. Again, it was something that we wanted to use, but we felt that the time wasn’t right because of the choice of all the records that we had on the first album. But that’s a joint that you can’t deny. You know, maybe it could’ve been hooked up a little more street-ready, and it was something that we thought was a hit record. But we didn’t want to come out and grasp on that first album. We was trying to ease back on that."
The new Rakim interaction appears in Will's seven-minute behind-the-scenes clip of his night at the CBS special on YouTube. Watch the full video below, with the moment in question starting at the 2:38 mark. Also making appearances are Smith's very enthusiastic children, DJ Red Alert, Chance the Rapper, Queen Latifah, and more.
