Will Smith Admits To Rakim That He Copied Him On His Hit ‘Summertime’

Will Smith finally admits to copying Rakim’s style on his hit single, “Summertime.”

For years, fans speculated that Rakim was a ghostwriter on the song but he shut down those rumors in a 2016 interview. “When they came out with it, a lot of people thought it was me because of the style he used,” he said.

However, Rakim also talked about the similarities between his style of rap and what is displayed on Smith’s song. “But it was one of those things where that was them. I didn’t write it. That was [all DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince].”

During this past Sunday’s “Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop” Dj Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, as well as Rakim, all performed to celebrate Hip-Hop and after the show Smith told Rakim the truth. “I was absolutely trying to sound like you ‘Summertime.’”

He went on to explain his reason for the“copy-cat style” on the song. “Cause I had been screaming all night, and I couldn’t get my ‘happy-go-lucky’ high voice. And Hula just said, ‘Yo, just gimme that Rakim s__t.'”