Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998), also known mononymously as Jaden, is an American rapper and actor. He has received various accolades, including a Teen Choice Award, an MTV Movie Award, a BET Award and a Young Artist Award, among nominations for a Grammy Award, two NAACP Image Awards and an Empire Award.
His film debut was with his father Will Smith in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness, and he again appeared with his father in the 2013 film After Earth. He also starred in the remake films The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) and The Karate Kid (2010). Following a three-year hiatus Smith returned to acting in 2016, starring in the two-part Netflix original The Get Down and a voice-acting role in the Netflix original anime Neo Yokio.
Smith began his musical career alongside Canadian singer Justin Bieber, when he was featured on the 2010 single "Never Say Never" from The Karate Kid. The song reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 5× Platinum in the US. He later released multiple mixtapes including CTV2 (2014). Following a three-year work effort, he released his debut studio album, Syre (2017). Smith has since released the studio albums Erys (2019) and CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3 (2020). In 2022, he received a Grammy Award for Album of the Year nomination as a featured artist on Bieber's album Justice.
Early life
Jaden Christopher Syre Smith was born July 8, 1998, in Malibu, California, the son of actors Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith. He has an older half-brother, Trey Smith (b. 1992) and a younger sister, Willow Smith (b. 2000). Smith attended New Village Leadership Academy before being homeschooled by his parents. Growing up, Smith's celebrity status due to acting in films such as The Pursuit of Happyness and his parents both being acclaimed actors led to him being isolated from having a normal childhood, something he has spoken on at length. He took up skateboarding.
Smith and his siblings were youth ambassadors for Project Zambi, which provides assistance in conjunction with Hasbro for Zambian children orphaned by AIDS.
Career
Acting
Smith made his major role debut in the 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness as Christopher, the son of Chris Gardner, Will Smith's character. For his role, Smith won the award for Breakthrough Performance at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. Smith next appeared as Jacob in the 2008 Scott Derrickson science fiction film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, a remake of the 1951 classic of the same name.
In 2010, along with Jackie Chan, Smith starred in The Karate Kid, a remake of the 1984 film. In May 2013, Will Smith and Jaden starred together, playing father and son, in After Earth. In 2014, it was announced that Smith will return for the sequel Karate Kid 2 with Jackie Chan. The movie will be directed by Breck Eisner, produced by James Lassiter and Will Smith and written by Zak Penn.
In April 2014, Smith was cast in the film The Good Lord Bird, which is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by James McBride. Smith plays Henry Shackleford, a young slave living in Kansas Territory in 1857 who encounters abolitionist John Brown.
Smith took a break from acting following the release of his mixtape, Cool Tape Vol. 2 to focus on music, returning to act in Netflix original, The Get Down in 2017. Smith also had a voice acting role in Neo Yokio and a role in Nashville as himself. Commenting on his break from acting, he said "The kinds of roles I was being offered weren't exactly what I was looking for, nothing felt really necessary that I needed to be in until this came along". Smith has returned to acting in films with the announcement of a film based on skateboarding. On June 21, 2018, Crystal Moselle's Skate Kitchen released its first official trailer showcasing Smith as the main character. The film was officially released on August 10, 2018, after being showcased at Sundance in Winter 2017. In 2020, he starred alongside Cara Delevingne in the romantic drama Life in a Year, to positive reviews.
Music
In 2010, Smith rapped alongside Canadian singer Justin Bieber in the song "Never Say Never". The song peaked at 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified 5× Platinum in the US.
On October 1, 2012, Jaden released his debut mixtape, The Cool Cafe. Smith released the sequel to The Cool Cafe on November 8, 2014, titled CTV2.