Will Smith Class ’88 The podcast is a love letter to one of hip-hop’s most seminal periods: 1988. The Fresh Prince, along with his special guests, will celebrate the year “that defined the global cultural phenomenon of hip-hop” in a new series from Heard and Wonderful.
In this exclusive clip (above), the West Philly native sits down with Run DMC’s Darryl “DMC” McDaniels to discuss the birth of one of the most iconic rap groups in history through “Sucker MC’s,” the b-side of their debut. lonely.
McDaniels, 59, talks about his life after graduating from the now-closed Rice High School in Harlem in 1982 and then being accepted into St. John’s University in his hometown of Queens. When he received his acceptance letter, he remembered running around the house and keeping the news to himself until he could write a poem about this monumental moment.
As Smith recalled the song’s lyrics, the men rapped together: “I’m DMC in my place / I go to St. John’s University / And since kindergarten I’ve gained knowledge / And after 12th grade I went straight to college.”
Hip-hop fans will be able to hear similar stories from rap pioneers such as Queen Latifah, Chuck D, Rakim, DJ Red Alert, DJ Jazzy Jeff and others. Class ’88 where Smith explains why that year was such a defining year for hip-hop.
All eight episodes Issue ’88 will be available Thursday (October 26) on Audible and Amazon Music. Prime members can stream the podcast ad-free through the latter.
