The Fresh Prince Project
How the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
This “one-of-a-kind” (Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author) cultural history of the beloved nineties sitcom that launched Will Smith to superstardom—The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—is perfect for fans of Seinfeldia and Best Wishes, Warmest Regards.
More than thirty years have passed since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premiered on NBC but unlike other family sitcoms of its era, it has remained culturally relevant and beloved by new generations of fans.
With fresh eyes on the show in the wake of 2022’s launch of Bel-Air, a Fresh Prince reboot on NBC’s Peacock, The Fresh Prince Project brings us never-before-told stories based on exclusive interviews with the show’s cast, creators, writers, and crew. Eye-opening and passionate, The Fresh Prince Project “brings home the essence of why The Fresh Prince still matters to Black America—and, really, why it should matter to all of us” (Mike Wise, New York Times bestselling author).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Sportswriter Palmer (Darkness to Light) delivers an entertaining take on the sitcom that propelled Will Smith from rapper to celebrated movie star. Smith grew up in a West Philadelphia home that "was warm and mostly loving, but discipline was paramount," and earned the nickname Prince for his boyish charm. His comedic antics—born from his attempts to evade his father's anger—later became the inspiration for his Fresh Prince persona. Desperate to be famous, Smith's late 1980s collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff for "Parents Just Don't Understand" won "the first-ever hip-hop Grammy," but mainstream hip-hop quickly tired of his bubblegum rap style. Smith later moved to Los Angeles, where he met talent manager Benny Medina and landed an audition with producer Quincy Jones for a new sitcom in 1990. Smith, a first-time actor, immediately signed on to star in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Despite studio questions on whether white writers Andy and Susan Borowitz could accurately portray Black culture (the husband-and-wife team consulted Black writers and crew to authenticate the script's nuances), the show became "groundbreaking for network television" and a cultural phenomenon. Palmer's skillful study of Smith's professional and personal development melds perfectly with his incisive analysis of the show's cultural impact. This savvy outing offers much more than a simple hit of nostalgia.
