Contrary to the  ‘i don’t know what I am doing’ hand gesture that Smith pulled out in almost every photo during his time as the Fresh Prince, he definitely knew what he was doing when he wrote clean lyrics as a rapper at a time when nobody was. Will Smith would only reveal years later how he came to the decision. But the ‘Billie Willie’ style of rapping evidently turned out to be a huge hit. Smith’s career as the rapper comes a close second to that of him becoming a meme after the Oscar slap.

However, it is very important to discuss how Smith used the clean rapping style to become one of the most prominent names in the hip-hop industry. His name incorporated with his clean rapping style made him a fan favorite. At a time when rappers made sure that their songs consisted of profanity as seriously as one would check an airplane’s fuel before take off, Smith made sure his raps were void of cusses. And given how he still made it big as a rapper, it makes us think why is negative rap more promoted than positive rap.

Is Will Smith behind Kanye West cussing in his songs?

When Smith walked up onto the Oscar stage to slap Chris Rock, the whole world heard and saw a beautiful image get broken. Smith who even during his rapping career did not cuss and spoke of love and respect had done something even Kanye West hasn’t done. The comparison is vital because West and Smith are the North and South pole in the rapping world. Ye got numerous celebrities to pose naked for ‘Famous‘ whereas Smith’s Billie Willie style was parodied in the famous sitcom Family Guy as ‘Nice Clean Rap’.

The question “why is negative rap more promoted than positive rap?” led to a very heated discussion on Twitter. But the majority held their own with “what you see is what you get”. If Smith a rapper who curated his raps to be void of profanity and was the face of ‘clean rap’ can get up on stage to slap someone, does positive rap make sense?

Moreover, in order to stick to his clean rapping style Smith refrained from discussing any socio-political issue in his rap. This is majorly contrary to many “negative” rappers. Albeit through profanity, artists like Tupac, Eminem, and Kanye West have rapped about the harsh truths of life. Meanwhile, Smith is Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.

Do you prefer negative or positive raps? Let us know in the comments below.