PHILADELPHIA (AP) 鈥� In West Philadelphia where he was born and raised, now there鈥檚 a street called Way.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and city leaders honored on Wednesday, renaming a street next to Smith's old high school.
鈥淧hilly, I love you. I am yours. You are mine,鈥� Smith said at a ceremony along a section of 59th Street that now bears his name.
He reminisced about learning the values of hard work and education from his mother and father before hitting it big as an actor and rapper.
鈥淣obody gets an easy ride,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat was one of the things these streets of Philadelphia taught me: that there's nothing wrong with a hard day's work.鈥�
Among those who came out to see him was a former teacher who was the first to call him 鈥淧rince Charming鈥� 鈥� a nickname he changed up a bit for the 1990s TV show 鈥淭he Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,鈥� in which Smith played a teenager from Philadelphia who goes to live with relatives in Los Angeles.
鈥淭he name `The Fresh Prince' was coined in that building," Smith said, pointing back at Overbrook High School. 鈥淚 added the 鈥榝resh鈥� because it was hip-hop slang."
Smith will release his on Friday. It鈥檚 his first music project in two decades since 鈥淟ost and Found.鈥�
He won Grammys for 鈥淪ummertime,鈥� 鈥淢en In Black,鈥� 鈥淕ettin鈥� Jiggy Wit It鈥� and 鈥淧arents Just Don鈥檛 Understand.鈥� He's also starred in the movies 鈥淏ad Boys,鈥� 鈥淢en in Black鈥� and 鈥淜ing Richard.鈥�
The Associated Press
