Jabari

Although he has made a name for himself as an actor with his starring role in the television series Bel-Air, Jabari Banks also pursues music as a singer/rapper and songwriter who straddles the line between R&B and hip-hop. Signed to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Epic%22">Epic</a>, Jabari made his major-label debut at the end of 2023 with "Something Else," a slinking slow jam that teamed him with Ayo the Producer and Cole YoursTruly.

Raised in Prince George's County, Maryland (his birthplace) and Philadelphia, Jabari got into music and sports before acting, writing rhymes and playing basketball and football from a young age. After graduating from high school, where he played the Cowardly Lion in a production of The Wiz, Jabari focused on acting and attended the University of the Arts in Philly. Upon graduating in 2020, he auditioned for numerous roles before landing the lead role of Will in Bel-Air -- a reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air -- the first season of which was broadcast in 2022. (Jabari was informed and subsequently mentored by the original Will, <a href="spotify:artist:41qil2VaGbD194gaEcmmyx">Will Smith</a>.) Having continued to work on music, Jabari landed a deal with major-label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Epic%22">Epic</a>, and in December 2023 issued "Something Else." At the time of its release, Jabari had been cast in a remake of the Thai drama Chalard Games Goeng (Bad Genius) and as <a href="spotify:artist:0iEtIxbK0KxaSlF7G42ZOp">Metro Boomin</a> in American Dream: The 21 Savage Story. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi