Will Smith

Solo Artist · The Fresh Prince

Photo: TechCrunch · CC BY 2.0
Active 1997-present
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Albums 5
Tracks 74
Most frequent collaborator Lennie Bennett · 19 tracks
Genres Hip HopPop RapEast Coast Hip Hop
Complete Artist
99%
Authorship

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
270
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.

EXO8%
Salt-N-Pepa35%
Jennifer Lopez46%
TLC59%
Destiny's Child69%
Brad Paisley78%
T-Pain91%
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
LB19Lennie Bennett, 19 tracks O18O.Banga, 18 tracks OR14Omarr Rambert, 14 tracks O13OmArr, 13 tracks 12Jeff Townes, 12 tracks P&11Poke & Tone, 11 tracks TJ9Troy Johnson, 9 tracks DH8Darren Henson, 8 tracks TF8The Freshmen, 8 tracks L7L.E.S., 7 tracks LB7LeMar Bennett, 7 tracks LB7Lance Bennett, 7 tracks DG7Drew Gavin, 7 tracks RC6Rob Chiarelli, 6 tracks SB5Samuel Barnes, 5 tracks RA5Ramon Adams, 5 tracks TB5Theron Benymon, 5 tracks AB5Arthur Brisby, 5 tracks L5Lexoskeleton, 5 tracks T4Trackmasters, 4 tracks RT4Ryan Toby, 4 tracks KP4Keith Pelzer, 4 tracks C4Common, 4 tracks RI4Richard Iverson, 4 tracks MS4Mark Sparks, 4 tracks BE3Bernard Edwards, 3 tracks NR3Nile Rodgers, 3 tracks NJ3Nasir Jones, 3 tracks CH3Carvin Haggins, 3 tracks T3Trā-Knox, 3 tracks JO3Jean-Claude Olivier, 3 tracks JP3Jada Pinkett Smith, 3 tracks S3Sauce, 3 tracks RJ3Ronald Jackson, 3 tracks L3LastNght, 3 tracks KT3Kyle Townsend, 3 tracks JR2Joe Robinson, 2 tracks SW2Stevie Wonder, 2 tracks RF2Rob Fusari, 2 tracks BD2Big Daddy Kane, 2 tracks MM2Marley Marl, 2 tracks TK2Tim Kelley, 2 tracks BR2Bob Robinson, 2 tracks T&2Tim & Bob, 2 tracks J2Jaden, 2 tracks RF2Ron Feemster, 2 tracks DJ2DJ Jazzy Jeff, 2 tracks T2Treezah, 2 tracks KH2Kwamé Holland, 2 tracks CA2Christian Astrop, 2 tracks BK2Big K.R.I.T., 2 tracks KT2Kevin Teasley, 2 tracks BN2Beau Nox, 2 tracks ML2Manuel Lara, 2 tracks AH1Andreao Heard, 1 track DP1David Porter, 1 track LB1Larry Blackmon, 1 track TJ1Tomi Jenkins, 1 track C1Cameo, 1 track KG1Kenny Greene, 1 track TL1Trey Lorenz, 1 track WS1William Shelby, 1 track SS1Stephen Shockley, 1 track LS1Leon Sylvers III, 1 track RI1Ronald Isley, 1 track RI1Rudolph Isley, 1 track OI1O'Kelly Isley Jr., 1 track EI1Ernie Isley, 1 track MI1Marvin Isley, 1 track CJ1Chris Jasper, 1 track OS1Oliver Scott, 1 track RW1Ronnie Wilson, 1 track LS1Lisa Stansfield, 1 track ID1Ian Devaney, 1 track AM1Andy Morris, 1 track CL1Camp Lo, 1 track VR1Valvin Roane, 1 track JF1Joe Farrell, 1 track RB1Robert Bell, 1 track RB1Ronald Bell, 1 track JT1James Taylor, 1 track CC1Claydes Charles Smith, 1 track GB1George Brown, 1 track RM1Robert Mickens, 1 track ET1Earl Toon, 1 track DT1Dennis Thomas, 1 track ED1Eumir Deodato, 1 track BW1Bill Withers, 1 track WS1William Salter, 1 track RM1Ralph MacDonald, 1 track C"1Curtis "Sauce" Wilson, 1 track J"1Jeff "Fuzzy" Young, 1 track TC1Trisha Covington, 1 track TR1Timothy Riley, 1 track MW1Maurice White, 1 track on Earth, Wind & Fire's page WV1Wayne Vaughn, 1 track WV1Wanda Vaughn, 1 track L"1Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, 1 track PR1Patrice Rushen, 1 track TM1Terry McFadden, 1 track FW1Fred Washington, 1 track C1Coko, 1 track FM1Falonte Moore, 1 track RR1Rochelle Runnells, 1 track PB1Peter Brown, 1 track RR1Robert Rans, 1 track ER1Eric Roberson, 1 track K1K-Ci, 1 track on K-Ci & JoJo's page JS1Joe Strummer, 1 track on The Clash's page MJ1Mick Jones, 1 track on Foreigner's page TH1Topper Headon, 1 track on The Clash's page BR1Bobby Robinson, 1 track PS1Pam Sawyer, 1 track MM1Marilyn McLeod, 1 track LK1Lil' Kim, 1 track ZG1Zane Grey, 1 track LR1Len Ron Hanks, 1 track K1KayGee, 1 track DL1Darren Lighty, 1 track IB1Ivan Bavarias, 1 track TP1Tito Puente, 1 track MA1Masters at Work, 1 track RJ1Rodney Jerkins, 1 track LD1LaShawn Daniels, 1 track HM1Harvey Mason Jr., 1 track FJ1Fred Jerkins III, 1 track LM1Lana Moorer, 1 track TA1Tatyana Ali, 1 track ML1MC Lyte, 1 track CH1Channette Higgins, 1 track CH1Channoah Higgins, 1 track BD1Bob Dorough, 1 track LA1Laurindo Almeida, 1 track RE1Rokusuke Ei, 1 track HN1Hachidai Nakamura, 1 track JC1James Cason, 1 track MH1Marcel Hall, 1 track LG1Lawrence Goodman, 1 track BM1Biz Markie, 1 track SR1Slick Rick, 1 track RW1Richard Walters, 1 track DE1Doug E. Fresh, 1 track EB1Eric Barrier, 1 track WG1William Griffin, 1 track LP1Lawrence Parker, 1 track RR1Robert Reed, 1 track TF1Tony Fisher, 1 track TR1Taylor Reed, 1 track EN1Emmett Nixon, 1 track VD1Vincent Davis, 1 track

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. Showing the 150 most frequent of 265. LB Lennie Bennett · O O.Banga · OR Omarr Rambert · O OmArr · P& Poke & Tone

Photo credits

Portraits in the web and the rail come from Wikimedia Commons. The artist's own photo carries its credit under the picture.

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 File:TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019 (cropped) - Wikimedia Commons