The Summertime singer Will Smith started his career as a hip-hop star at a very young age. As his grandma found his diary of rap songs when he was only 12 years old. Well, today he is one of the most influential and eminent black artists in Hollywood. His passion for music brought him several awards and accolades. Moving forward to the world of entertainment, he became famous as The Fresh Prince of America. However, success came with many drawbacks, as he was caught in headlines after attacking Chris Rock at the Oscar 2020. Meanwhile, one such award story includes the time he refused to attend an award show. What was the reason behind him skipping a Grammy award?

Will Smith boycotted the Grammy night to support his community

In 2016, Will Smith supported his wife Jada Pinkett Smith for refusing to turn up at the Academy Awards. During the conversation, Smith revealed to ET Online why he boycotted 1989, which was the iconic achievement of his life. The MIB star and his musical partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff, received their first Grammy for Best Rap Performance, and yet decided to stay back from the award night, as the award show didn’t put the new rap category on display.

“We don’t have the problem with the GRAMMY as an award or the GRAMMYs as an institution, we just had a problem with the 1989 design of the awards show,” explained Will, and added, “We chose to boycott. We feel that it’s a slap in the face.”

However, the actor thanked Grammy for nominating their album Parents Just Don’t Understand and honoring them with the award. But neglection towards the rap category and the resulting boycott meant that the actor wasn’t accepting the award.

The 53-year-old star has always believed in standing for your rights and speaking what is in your heart without fears. Therefore, Smith and Townes’ bold move led to the recognition of the rap industry. Their decision resulted in the Grammy now televising one category from the rap field every year.

Do you love rap music too? Have you heard the billboard hit albums of MC duo? Leave your comments below.