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\n\tIn the late \u201990s, arguably no human being on the planet was on a hotter hot streak than Will Smith<\/a>. After making his name on wax and on TV as the Fresh Prince in the late \u201980s and early \u201990s, Smith had made the jump to film stardom in the mid \u201990s with a string of summer blockbusters \u2014 the latest of which, Men in Black<\/em>, also saw him scoring a huge hit with the movie\u2019s title theme. Then in 1998, it all came together in a year of crossover pop smashes, massive music videos and award wins, to go with another box office winner in the theaters, a new marriage to a fellow film A-lister, and even a big pop hit for one of his Fresh Prince<\/em> co-stars. It couldn\u2019t and didn\u2019t last \u2014 and it feels pretty far away now, following a wildly unexpected low period in Smith\u2019s public image \u2014 but no other entertainer has really matched it since.<\/p>\n \n\tOn this week\u2019s extended\u00a0Vintage Pop Stardom episode<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Greatest Pop Stars podcast<\/a>, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by YouTube star<\/a> and Song vs. Song<\/a> <\/a>p<\/a>o<\/a>d<\/a>c<\/a>a<\/a>s<\/a>t<\/a> co-host Todd in the Shadows to remember the peak year from our shared middle-school-age hero. We try to convey just how massive Will Smith was to us and our ilk in the late \u201990s, how it seemed like he could do absolutely no wrong across his many separate ventures, and how surprising and jarring it ended up being the few times where he actually did do wrong.<\/p>\n \n\tAlong the way, we ask all the most important questions about how Will Smith made movie and music superstardom look good: Did Will Smith have anything to prove still in 1998? Do we believe the buzz that Nas ghostwrote \u201cGettin\u2019 Jiggy Wit It\u201d \u2014 or that Jerry Seinfeld was actually instrumental in breaking the song? Is \u201cMiami\u201d an authentic representation of the overall South Beach experience? Was Will the secret king of the late-\u201990s disco revival? And most importantly: What are the chances that we ever see another cross-platform superstar like Will Smith again? <\/p>\n