bel-air
Jabari is taking his talents to Epic Records.
The multi-hyphenate, best known as the star of Peacock’s Bel-Air, is looking to showcase his skills on the mic as the label’s newest signee. On Friday (Dec. 1), he’ll embark on his musical journey with the release of his label debut, “Something Else.”
“With the creation of ‘Something Else,’ I wanted to give life to the grey areas of infatuation,” Jabari tells Billboard. “I wanted to share where I was in that time, and along with my team, we executed that well. Also very excited be to be taking this first step with Epic Records. Shout to Sylvia Rhone and Zeke Lewis for being headlights for the vision. I have a lot more to give. Thanks for being here on this journey.”
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“Jabari is a multi-hyphenate young superstar in the making. Artists like him represent the future of entertainment and we could not resist the opportunity to join and assist with his upward movement,” adds Ezekiel Lewis, president of Epic Records.
On Bel-Air, Jabari plays the lead role of Will Smith (named after the star of the original series, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). The show has given momentum to his acting career, though he has previously noted that avid fans of the original ’90s sitcom were initially skeptical about the show’s modern-day twist.
“It just really came from a pure place. And honestly, it’s incredible, because we’re standing on the shoulders of giants,” Jabari told Variety last year. “The wingspan of this show is incredible, because it reaches for so many generations, and everybody knows it. And it’s such a beloved TV series, it’s a quintessential ’90s sitcom. And so it’s so it’s everyone’s baby, and they’re like, ‘We don’t touch that we don’t touch this.’ But I was definitely confident, I was like, ‘Just wait and watch because we got some great things cooking up.’”
Jabari will look to follow in the steps of his co-star, Coco Jones, who recently reeled in five Grammy nominations, most notably in the best new artist category. When asked how he will balance his music and TV responsibilities simultaneously, Jabari says: “Because God is good.”
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Source: NTWRK / NTWRK
Will Smith might still be on the outs for many people in the culture, but his 90’s style is still influencing the sneaker game today as a limited-edition Air Jordan that pays homage to his classic comedy sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is set to be raffled this week.
SneakerNews is reporting that Peacock will commemorate the second season of Bel-Air by teaming with NTWRK to raffle off three pairs of a laceless version of the “Metallic” Air Jordan 5’s. Similar to the laceless version of the “Grape” Air Jordan 5’s of 2018, the “Metallic”‘s will also feature no holes where the laces would normally go as Will Smith was known to rock no laces on his Air Jordans on the show that made him a household name.
While many sneakerheads would much rather have a pair that they can actually lace up, best believe hypebeasts will be coming out the woodwork to enter this raffle when it goes live on the NTWRK app this Thursday (March 2) at 7PM ET. With only three pairs rumored to be available, best believe there’s a 99% chance you’ll be holding an “L” when it’s all said and done.
Check out the exclusive pair of Air Jordan 5’s below and let us know if you’ll be trying your luck come Thursday in the comments section below.
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The wait is almost over! Season 2 of Bel-Air, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reboot executive produced by Will Smith, premieres on Peacock on Thursday (Feb. 23).
Jabari Banks stars as Will in a dramatic reimagining of the original sitcom. The cast includes Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hillary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks and Jimmy Akingbola as the Banks family butler, Geoffrey.
How Robert Glasper & Terrace Martin Ended Up Scoring the ‘Fresh Prince’ Reboot ‘Bel-Air…
02/22/2023
Adrian Holmes and Cassandra Freeman play Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv. April Parker Jones plays Will’s mom (Aunt Viv’s sister) Viola “Vy” Smith. Karrueche Tran, Duane Martin, Charlie Hall and Stevonte Hart are among the recurring cast.
Michael Ealy, Marlon Wayans and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum Daphne Maxwell Reid guest starred in the first season. The new season will also feature new and familiar faces including Tatiana Ali and a guest appearance from Saweetie. Robert Glasper and Terrace Martin scored the music for the show.
Bel-Air is based on a 2019 fan-created dramatic reimagining of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air short film by novice filmmaker Morgan Williams. After the clip went viral, Smith reached out to Williams to discuss developing a series. Bel-Air was later picked up by Peacock and named the platform’s most streamed original series last year.
Like the original, Bel-Air centers around, a West Philadelphia teen whose mother sends him to live with aunt and uncle in the swanky Los Angeles suburb of Bel-Air, Calif.
Banks, 24, is a native of West Philadelphia like Smith. “As soon as I learned I booked the show, I was in California in two days. After that week, we flew to Philly and we started filming. I’ve been filming ever since,” he told The Hollywood Reporter last year. “I remember hearing stories about how The Fresh Prince would air [in Philly] and everything would shut down. Everybody just watched the episode and the next day were talking about it.”
How to Stream Bel-Air On Peacock
The first three episodes of Bel-Air Season 2 will debut on Peacock on Thursday. The show streams at no additional charges to subscribers. New episodes will premiere every Thursday leading up to the finale.
Not subscribed? Monthly plans start at $4.99 (or $49.99 a year) for the ad-supported Peacock Premium and $9.99/month ($99.99 a year) for commercial-free streaming.
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Besides, Bel-Air, Peacock is home to original series such as Poker Face, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, The Traitors, The Real Housewives of Miami, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin. Subscribers will also get access to bingeable movies, sports (including WWE), news, kid-friendly content and episodes of beloved shows like Yellowstone, The Office and That 70s Show, Modern Family, Parks & Recreation, plus new episodes of Saturday Night Live and other NBC and Bravo shows.
Not sure if you already have access to Peacock? Comcast will be ending its free Peacock subscription for XFinity customers this summer but there’s still time to potentially join for free (click here for more information). You can stream Peacock on your television, phone, computer and other compatible devices. Streaming internationally? Peacock is available through ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
In the latest season of Bel-Air, Will moves out of his aunt and uncle’s home in Bel-Air and sets up shop in South Central Los Angeles. “My whole life was based on a lie,” he says in the trailer. “I can’t go back to the way things were.”
Watch the trailer for Bel-Air season 2 below.
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Source: WWD / Getty / Saweetie
When viewers tap in for season 2 of Bel-Air, they will be Saweetie gracing their television screens.
Variety exclusively reports that the “ICY GIRL” rapper will appear in the second season of the popular Peacock series Bel-Air. Per the website’s reporting, Saweetie will be playing herself in the show.
This will not be the first time she will play herself on show. Saweetie has made numerous appearances during the third season of the Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish that lives on Freefrom.
Saweetie won’t be the only new face fans of Bel-Air can expect to see on the show’s second season. Brooklyn McLinn, Jazlyn Martin, and Riele Downs will join the cast in recurring roles.
Per Variety:
Brooklyn McLinn (“Cloak & Dagger,” “Black-ish”), Jazlyn Martin (“This Is Us,” “All American: Homecoming”), and Riele Downs (“Darby and The Dead,” “Henry Danger”) will all appear in the new season of the drama series take on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
McLinn will play Doc Hightower, described as “a busy and driven basketball recruiter and AAU Coach who is impressed by Will’s game at Bel-Air Academy.” Martin will play Jackie. Of her character, it is said, “Her South L.A. street smarts put Will’s Philly swagger to the test when they are introduced to each other at a Venice basketball tournament.” Finally, Downs will play Yazmin, said to be “the president of the Black Student Union at Bel-Air Academy. While their paths have not previously crossed at school, Yazmin finds herself impressed by Carlton’s contributions to the club.”
Bel-Air Shut The Doubters Up
When Bel-Air was first announced, it wasn’t well received. The show is based on Morgan Cooper’s trailer featuring a dramatic retelling of the popular comedy sitcom starring Will Smith, which caught the eye of the actor who helped the trailer turn into an actual series and picked up for two seasons on NBC’s streaming network Peacock.
The series stars Jabari Banks as Will, Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks, Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks, Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks, Coco Jones as Hilary Banks, Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks, Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey, Jordan L. Jones as Jazz, and Simone Joy Jones as Lisa.
Season 2 premieres exclusively on Peacock on February 23.
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Photo: WWD / Getty
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