(Based On A True Story)

I know I’m late to this one, but today I was out of ideas for reviews and then I remembered this existed, so I couldn’t resist. 

This is the latest album by legendary actor and rapper Will Smith. This man should definitely not need an explanation. I refuse to believe no one knows who he is!

The Fresh Prince himself, the first man who got a Grammy for a rap album, the man who became notorious for his clean, swear-free raps and, most importantly, for his films. 

2005 was his last album, ‘Lost and Found’, an album I actually fucked with as a kid! With that banger single ‘Switch’, which came in so many variety remixes, such as R&B and reggae. 

Anyway, it’s been 20 years exactly since that album, and what has happened since? Well, with this album, he features with him on the production: 

-Lexoskeleteon

-OmArr 

-Days of 1993

-Lastnight

-Kyle Townsend

-L’Amo

-Beau Nox

-Manuel Lara

-Zach Ezzy 

-Lucas

-Leo Son

And MC’s:

-Jac Ross

-Big Sean

-Obanga 

-Joyner Lucas

-Russ

-Jayden 

And look, across these 14 tracks and 37 minutes, I have to surprisingly say I don’t hate this! 

When it comes to his music albums until now. He’s always had the reputation and exception of being that ‘clean guy’ in rap. There was always a level of expectation to him that he’s going to prioritise G-rated themes and lyricism over a substantial record. 

Don’t get me wrong, his earliest few albums were amazing club, radio albums! So many hits, and that’s not even including The Fresh Prince theme, but as he passed the 90s, his music developed more stigma for, dare I say, a stunned rapper focusing on the ‘family-friendly’ feel over quality. But this album actually feels like a solid rap album that’s only focused on quality!

In fact, the first two tracks on this album contain swearing! Obviously, nothing compared to the majority of the rap scene, but still, for Will, that was surprising to hear the F-bomb dropped in the intro! 

As the album progressed (although definitely not perfect), he felt the most passionate, reinvigorated, and alive that I’ve heard in years. 

One thing you will notice about this album is that he’s definitely become a slave to the trends of the times. It does feel like he’s sacrificed his originality in his delivery, but despite that, I feel his actual flow, lyricism, and the way he spits his bars is still very fresh and entertaining (despite what the harsh reviews and critics have said regarding the record). 

I feel if anything, the harshness is due to him trying to push his way into the hip-hop scene and just mildly copy what everyone else is doing over mostly trap, hi-hat type beats. Considering this is his comeback album, me and the rest of the world were expecting a more ‘creative and original’ spin on his trademark style from the 90s, but instead, we get a man trying to fit in with popular culture, and that can rub people the wrong way stylistically, but even so, I still think his actual verses sound pretty good! 

Is this album corny? Fuck yes. Especially the track with him and Joyner (what a nightmare pairing), and he is effectively picking and choosing every style hot right now as his base for this album. But besides that, I still feel he’s hungry for it, sharp (mostly) lyrically, and provides a rather entertaining edition to his discography after 20 years! 

So I’d say ignore the reviews and see for yourself if you like it or not!

https://open.spotify.com/album/6Xmk0viXpOgutxl16nchTb?si=CNcEFsKYStqQ1WDdRuZNbQ