‘He Is Not His Sister or Brother’: Will Smith’s Oldest Son Trey Tries to Step to the Mic, but Critics Say the Family Gene Skipped Him
Dec 20, 2025
Will Smith’s eldest son, Trey Smith, appears ready to step into one of the creative lanes his famous family has long dominated—at least, that’s the idea.
Now 33, Trey’s earlier music interests leaned more behind the scenes, working in Hollywood as a DJ under the name DJ Ace while focusin
g on house music rather than being center stage.
He handled production on the 2012 track “Find You Somewhere,” which featured his younger siblings Jaden Smith and Willow Smith back when they were still independent artists. Lately, however, Trey seems eager to test the spotlight himself, as he showcases his raw vocal skills but not everyone was impressed.
Will Smith’s eldest son, Trey Smith, shows off his singing, and fans say he doesn’t measure up to the musical standards set by his dad, Will Smith, or his siblings, Willow and Jaden Smith. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
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On Dec. 18, Trey made a vulnerable move by posting a video of himself covering Justin Timberlake’s 2017 hit “End of Time.” In the clip, he is seen sitting in a room singing his rendition of the RB song as he begins crooning the words of the chorus.
Moving his arms expressively, he sang “’Cause if you love was all I had in this life that would be enough until the end of time.’”
He powered through the chorus, stretching out the refrain before sliding into a high-pitched, breathy run of “whoas” and “yeahs” that seemed designed to show range—if not restraint.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Trey Smith (@treysmithofficial)
While Trey picked up some encouragement on his own page, the clip took a very different turn once it started circulating elsewhere. After landing on The Shade Room, the performance was met with far less mercy, as commenters wasted little time handing down brutally honest reviews and comparisons to his siblings.
One person wrote, “It is the serious hand gestures to drag out these long flat notes that’s doing it for me.” Someone else advised Trey, “He has to keep the day job on this one. Sorry!”
A third blunt person typed, “That was horrible.”
Others were even brutal enough to compare him to his siblings as one wrote, “He is not his sister and brother. It’s always 1 off sibling.”
Another person who did the same said, “Being the oldest worst sibling must be a real let down….”
Trey is the oldest child of Will Smith, whose musical résumé alone sets a high bar early after he won his first Grammy in 1989 for Best Rap Performance.
The eight-time Grammy winner welcomed Trey in 1992 with his first wife, Sheree Zampino, before the couple divorced in 1995. Zampino had success with acting and then later moved into producing movies and TV shows but not music.
After the divorce, the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” later married actress Jada Pinkett Smith in 1997. Jada went on to front the rock band Wicked Wisdom in the early 2000s, touring internationally—including dates with Britney Spears—and earning a notable slot at Ozzfest, one of the country’s most prominent heavy metal festivals.
Were you outside when Jada Pinkett had a whole rock band? pic.twitter.com/8Miae32lBA— ITSBIZKIT (@ITSBIZKIT) December 18, 2025
Together, they share a son, Jaden Smith, and daughter, Willow Smith, both of whom have gone on to carve out their own distinct careers in music.
Willow’s music career took off early with the viral hit “Whip My Hair” in 2010, released when she was just 9 years old.
Over the years, she has often credited her mother’s rock influence—particularly Jada’s time fronting the metal band Wicked Wisdom—as a major inspiration. Now 25, Willow is a two-time Grammy-nominated artist with a firmly established sound of her own, performing on stages around the world just like her mom did.
@offlixenostalgic_tv @WILLOW – Whip My Hair #offlixenostalgic_tv #nostalgia #willowsmith #whipmyhair #musicvideo #2000sthrowback #foryoupage #2010s #xybca ♬ original sound – 𝙉𝙊𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙇𝙂𝙄𝘼
Jaden released his first mixtape at 14 and later broke through with the 2017’s “ICON,” a viral anthem that helped redefine him as more than Will Smith’s son.
The track pushed the “Pursuit of Happyness” star into a lane of his own, blending hip-hop with pop, jazz, and RB influences, though a Grammy win has remained elusive.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by HipHop World Lyrics / HHWL (@hiphopworldlyrics)
Though singing might not be the route people want him to take on the mic (for now), Trey did earn some goodwill after dropping a freestyle video back in August. The clip got solid feedback from listeners who praised his smooth flow over a tricky beat, noting a delivery that sounded unmistakably familiar—very much in his dad’s pocket.
Jaden even showed support by typing the two simple words, “We won,” in his big brother’s comments. Still, not everyone was convinced, with some directing advice straight at Jaden, urging him to link up at the studio, insisting Trey has the “tools” but needs a little more hands-on guidance to tighten up.
For now, Will’s first-born continues to drop beats on his Instagram page and appears most comfortable sticking to electronic and dance sounds. According to his SoundCloud history, he’s been experimenting with music since 2014—and that lane still seems to be where he finds his rhythm.
‘He Is Not His Sister or Brother’: Will Smith’s Oldest Son Trey Tries to Step to the Mic, but Critics Say the Family Gene Skipped Him
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