Photo of Will Smith
Photo: Ian D'Andrea from Philadelphia, PA · CC BY-SA 2.0

Solo Artist · The Fresh Prince

Will Smith

Active1997-present
OriginPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, US
Albums5
Tracks74

Most frequent collaborator: Lennie Bennett  ·  19 tracks

Hip hopPop rapEast Coast hip hop
99%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 73 of 74 tracks

Does Will Smith write his own raps?

Yes. Will Smith is credited on about 99% of his catalogue as the writer of his own raps. What inflates the composer credits is his heavy use of samples: hits like 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It,' 'Miami,' and 'Wild Wild West' are built on older songs, so their original writers share credit. The rhymes, though, are Smith's.

By the Numbers

5
Studio Albums
74
Tracks Credited
99%
Self-Written
29
Years Active
271
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 73 / 74 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 74 tracks: how many Will Smith wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Will Smith has a writing credit99%
8%
91%
1%
Sole author6tracks8%
Co-written67tracks91%
Outside writers1tracks1%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Will Smith's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 74 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)99%
Composer (music)99%
Producer3%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Will Smith's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 99%
100%
100%
100%
100%
93%
1997Big Willie Style
1999Willennium
2002Born to Reign
2005Lost and Found
2025Based on a True Story
Early · 100% written
Late · 97% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

100%
1990s
Big Willie Style, Willennium
100%
2000s
Born to Reign, Lost and Found
93%
2020s
Based on a True Story

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Will Smith sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Will Smith
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Britney Spears32%
NSYNC41%
Boyz II Men51%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
Kesha77%
Pink85%
99%Will Smith
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Gettin' Jiggy wit It
Big Willie Style
Written by Will Smith, Samuel Barnes, Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers, Joe Robinson, David Porter
Co-wrote
Wild Wild West
Willennium
Written by Will Smith, Rob Fusari, Mohandas Dewese, Stevie Wonder
Co-wrote
Switch
Lost and Found
Written by Will Smith, Kwamé Holland, Lennie Bennett
Co-wrote

Discography 5 albums

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Will Smith74 tracks
LB19 O18 OR14 O13 JT12 P&11

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. LB Lennie Bennett · O O.Banga · OR Omarr Rambert · O OmArr · JT Jeff Townes · P& Poke & Tone

The Writers & Producers Behind Will Smith 6 key collaborators

LB
Lennie Bennett
Songwriter
Willennium / Born to Reign / Lost and Found19 tracks
O
O.Banga
Producer
Born to Reign / Lost and Found18 tracks
OR
Omarr Rambert
Songwriter
Born to Reign / Lost and Found / Based on a True Story14 tracks
O
OmArr
Producer
Based on a True Story13 tracks
JT
Jeff Townes
Songwriter & Producer
Big Willie Style / Willennium / Lost and Found12 tracks
P&
Poke & Tone
Producer
Big Willie Style / Willennium / Born to Reign11 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

Will Smith writes his own raps (the hip-hop standard) and is credited as a lyricist on essentially all his solo material, but his composer credits balloon because his hits are built on prominent samples and interpolations, pulling in the original songwriters as co-composers. The result is a high lyricist score paired with a crowded composer list dominated by sampled-song authors and his producers (notably Poke & Tone of Trackmasters). His catalog is a clear example of authorship in sample-based pop-rap.

Quick Facts

  • First rap GrammyWith DJ Jazzy Jeff, won the first-ever Best Rap Performance Grammy in 1989 for 'Parents Just Don't Understand'
  • GrammysWon four Grammy Awards, including two solo Best Rap Solo Performance wins
  • Sample-driven hits'Gettin' Jiggy wit It,' 'Wild Wild West,' and 'Miami' are built on samples of older records
  • Big Willie StyleHis 1997 solo debut became a multi-platinum blockbuster
  • Movie starA major film actor who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for King Richard (2021)

Creative Fingerprint

A rapper who writes his own rhymes over borrowed hooks: Will Smith is credited on about 99% of his catalogue as a lyricist, with the composer credits swelling because his biggest hits are built on samples of older songs.

The Story

Will Smith is an American rapper and actor from Philadelphia who launched a hugely successful solo music career in 1997 after his run as half of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Built on clean, radio-friendly, heavily sampled pop-rap, his solo albums produced blockbuster singles like 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It,' 'Miami,' and the Men in Black movie themes. He won Grammys and sold millions while keeping a family-friendly, sample-driven sound.

Awards & Recognition

With DJ Jazzy Jeff, won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance (1989)
Won two solo Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance ('Men in Black' and 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It')
Big Willie Style (1997) is one of the best-selling rap albums of its era
Won the Academy Award for Best Actor for King Richard (2021)

Frequently Asked Questions Will Smith

Does Will Smith write his own raps?
Yes. Will Smith is credited on about 99% of his catalogue as the writer of his own raps. What inflates the composer credits is his heavy use of samples: hits like 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It,' 'Miami,' and 'Wild Wild West' are built on older songs, so their original writers share credit. The rhymes, though, are Smith's.
Who wrote 'Men in Black'?
'Men in Black,' from Big Willie Style (1997), was written by Will Smith over a sample of Patrice Rushen's 'Forget Me Nots,' so Rushen and her co-writers share the credit. The song won a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Why is Will Smith called the Fresh Prince?
The nickname comes from his early rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince and was cemented by his sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It remains his defining nickname across music and acting.
Did Will Smith win a Grammy?
Yes, four. He and DJ Jazzy Jeff won the first-ever rap Grammy in 1989 for 'Parents Just Don't Understand,' and Smith later won two solo Grammys for 'Men in Black' and 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It.'
Why do Will Smith's songs have so many songwriters?
Because he samples heavily. His biggest hits interpolate or sample earlier records, which means the original writers are added to the credits. Smith writes his own verses, but the music is built on other people's hooks.
How many albums has Will Smith released?
This catalogue covers five solo studio albums, from Big Willie Style (1997) through Based on a True Story (2025), following his earlier work with DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Is Will Smith better known as an actor or rapper?
He is a superstar in both. Alongside multi-platinum rap albums, he became one of Hollywood's biggest movie stars, appearing in Men in Black, Independence Day, and Ali, and winning the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard.
What genre is Will Smith?
Will Smith makes hip-hop and pop rap, known for clean, upbeat, sample-driven hits like 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It' and movie tie-in singles like 'Men in Black' and 'Wild Wild West.'

Sources

Wikipedia: Will Smith