A Cool Tape Story

Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998) is an American rapper and actor. The son of Jada Pinkett-Smith and Will Smith, he has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young Artist Award. He has received a Grammy Award nomination, and has won two NAACP Image Awards and an Empire Award.

Smith made his film debut with his father Will in the 2006 film ''The Pursuit of Happyness'', and appeared with his father once more in the 2013 film ''After Earth''. He also co-starred in the remake films ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (2008), along with Keanu Reeves, and ''The Karate Kid'' (2010), with Jackie Chan. Following a three-year hiatus, he returned to acting in 2016, starring in the two-part Netflix series ''The Get Down'', and voice-acting in the company's anime series, ''Neo Yokio''.

As a recording artist, Smith first guest performed on Canadian singer Justin Bieber's 2010 single, "Never Say Never". Released for ''The Karate Kid''s accompanying soundtrack, the song peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and received quintuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He later released multiple mixtapes, including ''CTV2'' (2014). Following a three-year work effort, he signed with Roc Nation and Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, '' Syre'' (2017). It peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' 200, while his second and third albums, ''Erys'' (2019) and '' CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3'' (2020), peaked at numbers 12 and 44, respectively. In 2022, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year as a featured artist on Bieber's album ''Justice''.

Early life

Jaden Christopher Syre Smith was born July 8, 1998, in Malibu, California,"Jaden Smith Biography"
. Biography. Retrieved June 1, 2014. the son of actors Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. He has an older half-brother, Trey Smith (b. 1992) and a younger sister, Willow Smith (b. 2000). He attended New Village Leadership Academy before being homeschooled by his parents. Growing up, his fame and his family's celebrity status prevented him from having a normal childhood, something he has spoken on at length. He took up skateboarding.

Smith and his siblings were youth ambassadors for Project Zambi, which, in conjunction with Hasbro, helps Zambian children orphaned by AIDS.

Career

Acting

Smith made his major role debut in the 2006 film ''The Pursuit of Happyness'' as Christopher, the son of Chris Gardner, Will Smith's character. For the role, he won the Breakthrough Performance award at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. He next appeared as Jacob in the 2008 Scott Derrickson science fiction film ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'', a remake of the 1951 classic of the same name.

In 2010, with Jackie Chan, Smith starred in ''The Karate Kid'', a remake of the 1984 film. In May 2013, Will Smith and Jaden starred together, as father and son, in ''After Earth''. In 2014, it was announced that Smith would return for the sequel ''Karate Kid 2'' with Jackie Chan, to be directed by Breck Eisner, produced by James Lassiter and Will Smith, and written by Zak Penn.

In April 2014, Smith was cast in the film ''The Good Lord Bird'', based on the 2013 novel of the same name by James McBride. Smith plays Henry Shackleford, a young slave living in Kansas Territory in 1857 who encounters abolitionist John Brown.

Smith took a break from acting following the release of his mixtape ''Cool Tape Vol. 2'' to focus on music. He then returned to act in Netflix original ''The Get Down'' in 2017. He also had a voice-acting role in ''Neo Yokio'' and a role in ''Nashville'' as himself. Commenting on his break from acting, he said, "The kinds of roles I was being offered weren't exactly what I was looking for, nothing felt really necessary that I needed to be in until this came along". Smith has returned to acting in films with the announcement of a film based on skateboarding. On June 21, 2018, Crystal Moselle's ''Skate Kitchen'' released its first official trailer with Smith as the main character. It was released on August 10, 2018, after screening at Sundance in Winter 2017. In 2020, he starred with Cara Delevingne in the romantic drama ''Life in a Year'', to positive reviews.

Music

In 2010, Smith rapped alongside Canadian singer Justin Bieber in the song "Never Say Never"."Justin Bieber – Never Say Never ft. Jaden Smith "
. YouTube. JustinBieberVEVO. May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2014. It peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified 5× Platinum in the US.

On October 1, 2012, Smith released his debut mixtape, '' The Cool Cafe''."Jaden Smith – The Cool Cafe"
. DatPiff.com. Retrieved on May 17, 2013. He released the sequel to ''The Cool Cafe'' on November 8, 2014, titled ''CTV2''.

Smith started working on his debut studio album in 2014, a process that took three years. He announced in December 2016 that it would be titled '' Syre''. The lead single from ''Syre'', "Fallen", was released on December 5, 2016, three more singles were released, "Batman" and "Watch Me" on July 14, 2017, and "Falcon" on November 16. ''Syre'' was released on November 17, 2017, and debuted at #24 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. "Icon" was released as a single on the same day and reached No. 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Smith later announced that his next project following ''Syre'' would be titled ''Erys'' on December 14, 2017. Another project, '' Syre: The Electric Album,'' was later teased via Twitter. Leading up to the release of the project, Smith released the single "Ghost" featuring Christian Rich. On July 8, 2018, Smith released the project exclusively on Instagram on his 20th birthday. The project was later released four days later to streaming platforms. ''Syre: The Electric Album'' is a guitar-centric rework of Smith's studio album ''Syre'' and is influenced by Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles' ''Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Less than a year later, on July 5, 2019, Smith released his second studio album, ''Erys'', and debuted at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' 200.

On July 30, 2018, Smith was announced as an opener during J. Cole's KOD Tour alongside Young Thug and EarthGang and on August 2, performed for the first time at Lollapalooza. One of Smith's influences, Kid Cudi, stated that he would like to make an album with Smith, which Smith supported, saying that he would like to in the future during an interview on August 21, 2018.

Jaden was managed by Will Smith's management company, Westbrook Entertainment, until March 2019 when Three Six Zero, an established management firm, acquired Westbrook. Following the acquisition, on July 24, 2020, Smith released the single "Cabin Fever", from his third album '' CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3'', which he described is a completion of the trilogy of the previous ''Cool'' tapes and "also kinda completing the trilogies of ''Syre'' and ''Erys'' at the same time". The album includes a collaboration with Smith's friend and previous collaborator Justin Bieber, on the song "Falling for You". On June 21, 2021, Smith released the single "Bye". On August 27, 2021, Smith released another version of the album ''CTV3: Day Tripper's Edition'' on all streaming platforms.

Fashion

'' GQ'' described Smith as "in a league of his own" in terms of fashion and a "superstar who has taken fashion to an entirely different level". Smith has called Tyler the Creator, Batman and Poseidon his icons when it comes to fashion. Smith said that Tyler the Creator introduced him to the brand Supreme. Batman's dark, gothic scenery has influenced the clothing he has created through his brand MSFTSrep and his personal clothing style, wearing Batman protective armor to Kanye West's and Kim Kardashian's wedding and his prom. MSFTSrep's range includes hoodies, T-shirt, trousers and vests. In May 2013 Smith collaborated with a Korean designer, Choi Bum Suk, to create a pop-up store where customers can buy clothes with their collaborated logos."Jay Park, Girls' Generation, and more attend Jaden Smith's 'MSFTSrep' and 'General Idea's pop-up store event"
. AllKPop.com. May 8, 2013.

In 2016, Smith modelled in a womenswear campaign for Louis Vuitton wearing a skirt. Explaining his choice to wear a skirt, he said he was attempting to combat bullying, saying "In five years, when a kid goes to school wearing a skirt, he won't get beat up and kids won't get mad at him." Smith continued to wear womenswear throughout the rest of 2016. He was the first male model to model womenswear for Louis Vuitton. He created a denim line with fashion brand G-Star in 2018.

Just Water

Smith has been a partner in spring water company Just Water since he was 12 years old. The company is attempting to create a water filtration system anyone can afford, which can be used in poorer areas and nations; they also seek to help with water infrastructure, and creating more environmentally-friendly construction methods by producing their own drywall. Just Water launched officially in the UK on August 27, 2018.

Musical artistry and influences

Smith's influences include Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Kurt Cobain and Tycho. He also considers his father, Will Smith, an inspiration, saying: "He started in music and transitioned to movies. I started with movies, and then I transitioned into making music—I look at him and use it as a blueprint of how good of a person he is, but not necessarily the success that he reached."

Personal life

Jaden Smith's father Will revealed that his son sought an emancipation ruling without his parents' consent, as a present for his 15th birthday. Will told the media that Jaden's primary motivation was the establishment of his own residence and also explained that his children were not subject to strict parenting: "We generally don't believe in punishment. From the time Jaden was five or six, we would sit him down, and all he has to do is be able to explain why what he did was the right thing for his life." However, Smith and his father appeared together on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' on May 15, 2013, where Jaden said:

The thing that people don't get is everything at his house is free. So I can get anything and everything at his house, so I'm going to be there for 20, 30 more years. He ill Smithsays that as soon as I have a movie that's bigger than one of his movies I can get my own house.

In June 2017, at the age of 19, Smith moved out of his parents' house into a $4 million home in Hidden Hills.

Smith is a vegetarian. He started a mobile restaurant providing free vegan dinners for the homeless (but where others pay). His vegan lifestyle caused his parents to intervene, following a rapid decline in his health. He was later diagnosed with lactose intolerance and celiac disease. He later returned to vegetarianism.

In 2013, Smith criticized traditional education and advised people to drop out of school. Discussing teenagers who attend public school, he said, "Kids who go to normal school are so teenagery, so angsty." Smith subscribes to, and sends tweets about, numerous conspiracy theories including the Illuminati, and chemtrails.

Smith dated Sarah Snyder from 2015 to 2017. She inspired numerous songs on Smith's debut album, ''Syre.'' Beginning in November 2018, Smith has claimed that rapper Tyler, the Creator was his boyfriend. Tyler, who is bisexual, denied this claim. In the song "NOIZE" on ''Erys'' in 2019, Tyler revealed, while rapping, that their relationship claims were sarcastic.

Smith has been called a non-binary icon for his work in popular media challenging traditional gender roles. He is often seen in gender-fluid clothing, wearing dresses, skirts and high-heels. For his ''Vogue'' Korea editorial in 2016, he wore traditionally female attire: a black skirt, blue nail polish, and a flower in his hair. He has made public comments such as "If I Wanna Wear A Dress, Then I Will, And That Will Set The New Wave...". He said that he wore skirts primarily to help kids to be bullied less in schools.

In 2023, Smith was the subject of an online death hoax after Facebook posts and YouTube videos claimed that he had died. Posts on various social media platforms claimed that Will Smith publicly announced the death of his son.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Syre'' (2017)
*''Erys'' (2019)
*'' CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3'' (2020)

Tours

Headlining

* Vision Tour: A North American Journey (2018)

Co-headlining

* Willow & Erys Tour (2019)

Supporting

* Fall Out Boy – Mania Tour (2017)
* J. Cole – KOD Tour (2018)
* Post Malone – Beerbongs & Bentleys Tour (2019)
* Tyler, the Creator – IGOR Tour (2019)
* Justin Bieber – Justice World Tour (2022)
* Kid Cudi – Insano World Tour (2024)

Filmography

Film

Television

Explanatory notes

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jaden
1998 births
Living people
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American rappers
African-American male child actors
21st-century African-American male actors
American male child actors
African-American male dancers
American male dancers
African-American male rappers
21st-century American male rappers
American conspiracy theorists
American male film actors
American male television actors
American people of Creole descent
Columbia Records artists
Male actors from California
Male actors from Los Angeles
Musicians from Malibu, California
Male actors from Malibu, California
Rappers from Los Angeles
Will Smith
Alternative hip-hop musicians
Jaden
Three Six Zero Recordings artists