Will Smith's latest release is filled with tracks that plead for hip-hop to take him seriously and others that were obviously written for his recent movie, "Hitch."
The first song on Lost and Found sounds like the theme song to a '60s TV program about a superhero rapper. Smith introduces a rapping style that is extraordinarily close in several aspects to the angry rapper, Eminem.
But don't be confused. Although Smith has never been an angry rapper, he has been using the character voice in his raps since he began. When he was still the Fresh Prince and hung around with DJ Jazzy Jeff, he would experiment with voices, popularizing the style Eminem is known for.
This alone doesn't mean Smith has incredible talent or that he can take back his title as the prince of commercial rap.
Songs like "Party Starter," "Switch," and "I Wish I Made That," show Smith's lack of insight. He doesn't know what hip-hop listeners want, yet he appeals to the MTV dance club scene. Smith is obviously the same rapper he was when he released "Parents Just Don't Understand" in 1988 on He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper.
The Fresh Prince style is most obvious on "Pump Ya Brakes," which features Snoop Dogg, and on "Scary Story," a track where Smith explains to his kid how he grew up with hip-hop.
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He recalls getting signed to a label and thinking it was a big deal - because back then it was harder for rappers to get signed to a record deal. He goes on to say when he asked for more money, a record company executive pulled out a pistol and threatened him. He ends the track by having part of a blatantly scripted conversation with a child who is hardly interested in what he's rapping about.
"Loretta" is a song about a stalker who wrote Smith a love letter and became depressed when he married Jada Pinkett. It sounds like it could have been stolen from Eminem and remade with an almost identical beat. Smith made it in an attempt to gain respect as a musician and a poet, but fell short and ended up sounding almost as good as something else.
Although several standout tracks are on this album, none of them are better than any other commercial releases these days. This is worse for Smith than for Ludacris or Lil' Jon, because he's been around for much longer. One would think his experience would have elevated him to a level beyond Lost and Found.
Lost and Found
Will Smith
Grade: C
