Jada Pinkett Smith has always been more than a leading lady on screen. From her early breakout on “A Different World” to cult-favorite films like Set It Off and big-budget blockbusters such as The Matrix sequels, she’s built a reputation as a fearless, era-defining actress. What some might forget is that she also stepped into the music world with her nu-metal band Wicked Wisdom in the 2000s, serving as an opening act for Britney Spears’ “The Onyx Hotel Tour” in 2004 and later joining the lineups of heavy metal and hard rock festivals like Ozzfest — a pivot that showed just how adventurous and multifaceted she is.
That duality — Hollywood icon and unexpected rocker — helps explain why artists across genres can’t stop name-dropping her. Her work in Set It Off alone inspired a shorthand for toughness and loyalty that still shows up in bars today. Her high-profile marriage to Will Smith and their decades-long presence in pop culture also gave rappers, singers and producers a ready reference point for real love, high drama and power-couple energy.
Below is a list of 12 songs where Jada gets a lyrical nod. It spans Hip Hop, R&B and beyond — from Nicki Minaj and OutKast to J. Cole and Drake — capturing just how deep her imprint runs in music. Some verses reference her movies, others her marriage, and a few simply use her name to signal a certain mood or aesthetic. Altogether, these tracks show more than two decades of pop-culture fascination with Jada’s image, proving she’s as embedded in the sonic landscape as she is in Hollywood.
1. “No Role Modelz” - J. Cole
The lyrics: “I want a real love, dark-skinned Aunt Viv love, that Jada and that Will love, that leave a toothbrush at your crib love, and you ain’t gotta wonder whether that’s your kid love”
2. “Da Art of Storytellin’ (Part. 1)” - Outkast
The lyrics: “From College Park and Fayette, all the way down to Decatur, like Jada, her wig was sharp and sporty — that was shawty”
3. “Yas Bishhh” - Nicki Minaj featuring Soulja Boy
The lyrics: “B**ches can’t beat me, they ain’t got the skill, eye of the tiger, they ain’t got the kill, look up to Jada, I love her and Will, b**ches my sons but they not in my will”
4. “Will (Remix)” - Joyner Lucas and Will Smith
The lyrics: “Big Willie on the Pro Tools, still fresh and I’m so smooth, I still got on my old shoes, I give Jada one thousand kisses, ain’t nothin’ change since ’02”
5. “Unbreakable” - Alicia Keys
The lyrics: “See, we could act out like Will and Jada (Will and Jada), or like Kimora and Russell makin' paper, oh yeah, all in the family like the Jacksons (like the Jacksons), and have enough kids to make a band like Joe and Katherine, yeah”
6. “Over” - Drake
The lyrics: “Making sure the Young Money ship is never sinking, about to set it off in this b**ch, Jada Pinkett”
7. “How To Rob” - 50 Cent
The lyrics: “I’ll catch P and Silkk the Shocker right after the Grammys, and Will Smith and Jada a** down in Miami”
8. “Domo23” - Tyler, the Creator
The lyrics: “Came to Pitchfork with a couple Jada Pinkett signs, and said I was a racist homophobic, so I grabbed Lucas and filmed us kissing”
9. “Eternal” - Chance the Rapper
The lyrics: “I made the three more famous than Steph, no cap, that’s a roundhouse kick to a Jameson’s neck, I got a Jada Pinkett keeping sure my shame is in check”
10. “Jada Pinkett” - Gucci Mane
The lyrics: “She love the way I walk, she love the way I talk…, she like the way I kick it, she say my swag wicked, ride or die b**ch, wanna be my Jada Pinkett”
11. “Caterpillar” - Royce da 5'9” featuring Eminem and King Green
The lyrics: “So ring the alarm, pull the extinguishers off of the wall, set the sprinklers off like Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah”
12. “Try Me” - Dej Loaf
The lyrics: “Got a b**ch that set it off like Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, you rollin’ around wit yo nieces, b**ch you T.T”