NBC needn’t have nervous. “The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air” proved instantly standard after its debut. Although the present was undeniably a sitcom, it usually handled heavy themes. The season 4 episode, “Papa’s Bought a Model New Excuse,” continues to be cited as one of the vital emotionally affecting episodes of TV ever, and a excessive level of Will Smith’s performing profession.

And the entire time it was transcending its sitcom framework, “The Contemporary Prince” was bringing hip-hop tradition to the residing rooms of America. Will Smith, whose obvious corniness had to date been a sticking level, immediately discovered his non-threatening aura a profit, completely positioned to deliver hip-hop to the plenty. As such, the present used parts of Smith’s actual life, together with his title, his vogue sense, and his being from West Philadelphia. Smith’s model was about as overtly hip-hop as you possibly can get — particularly within the earlier seasons. Be it flipping his personal college jacket inside out, his outsized shirts and pants, or the affect of Afrocentric model, Smith introduced the look of hip-hop — notably the extra aware selection — into the mainstream.

And there was, in fact, the music. From the second the title sequence began, the present wore its hip-hop affect on its sleeve. Smith’s opening rap not solely grew to become a preferred title theme however one of the vital recognizable songs of the ’90s, not less than for the technology that grew up on “The Contemporary Prince.” Even within the U.Okay., again after I dared to enterprise out into the hellscape that was nightlife on the South Coast, the “Contemporary Prince” theme track would reliably discover its method into DJ units and often obtained a much bigger response than different songs.