Will Smith - Big Willie Style
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Will SmithEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-03-11
Music Label: SonyBMG Special Markets
Soundtracks:
- Intro
- Y'All Know
- Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
- Candy (Featuring Larry Blackmon and Cameo)
- Chasing Forever
- Keith B-Real I (Interlude)
- Don't Say Nothin'
- Miami
- Yes Yes Y'All (Featuring Camp Lo)
- I Loved You
- Keith B-Real II (Interlude)
- It's All Good
- Just The Two Of Us
- Keith B-Real III (Interlude)
- Big Willie Style (Featuring Left Eye)
- Men In Black
Free Music Notes for Big Willie Style
Free Music Review: Still a Hip-Hop Masterpiece
Hit: 5 Stars
First thing to say is that I'm not really a Hip Hop fan (besides the popular Old-Skool stuff, Eminem & Professor Green (British Eminem equivilent)), so please forgive the title of this review - it is merely my own opinion & not necessarily fact.
That said, I do think it should be taken seriously as I think Will Smith has had an undeniably positive influence on Hip-Hop and this album represents the peak of his MCing skills.
***
Starting with 'Y'all know', you soon realise that some songs on this album are not necessarily classics. This track, though, is still interesting & avoids seeming cheesy or dated.
Next up there is Gettin' Jiggy Wit It. Though you may have heard it 1000 times, you may not have listened to the lyrics, which have that pop quality of each being glib & 'cool' but totally meaningless when put together as a whole.
'Candy' & 'Chasing forever' are fairly identikit pop but have their moments.
'Don't say nothin' is a break from the general poppiness of the rest of the record & sounds like he actually has something to say. Essentially it is one of those 'tit-for-tat' rap songs where the MC's takes on critics (as in the phrase 'If you don't have anything nice to say...'
'Miami' was the final single off the album, and you can see why it helped the album peak. Unlike 'Gettin' Jiggy With It', the lyrics here follow a theme & so are a lot more lyrically dope as you get the impression it has meaning & is not just a single.
'Yes, Yes Y'all' is sadly also a bit poppy, although it is a little catchy.
'I Loved You' is a song about Smith's ex-wife Sheree Zampino (& mother of his son Trey (as in the song Just the Two of Us)). A year after this song Will found Jada Pinkett so, gathering from this song, Zampino was a wrong 'un...
'It's All Good' is the nadir of the album, being as it is that old hip-hop cliche of a song based on Rapper's Delight. It's still a good song, but this cliche was so much better handled in Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.
'Just The Two Of Us' was the 4th single & was my favourite track on the album (partly due to the preceding track). I got the impression that a song about Father-sibling relationship's like this had a big influence on Eminem (despite his words to the contrary!)
'Big Willie Style' (Title track) is an interesting collaboration between Smith & the sadly missed Lisa 'Lefteye' Lopez. Her influence helps differentiate this song from the others & give it something unique.
Last two tracks (Men In Black & 'Just Cruisin') were the first two singles and, like 'Gettin' Jiggy wit It' suffer a bit from superficiality. Still, despite their familiarity & overuse in promoting the film, they still have a compelling quality.
One thing I haven't mentioned is the skits that come up through the record ('Intro', & 'Keith B-Real I, II & III'). Although these are initially amusing, they do get a little annoying as the record goes on, usually consisting of a pretentious reporter (from B-Real magazine who keeps saying how 'real' he is) harassing Smith. Compared to Dr Dre/ Snoop Dogg's efforts, these skits are tame at best & lame at worst.
***
All in all, this album is still a good record to listen to & has many elements that influenced other rappers. Smith confesses in one of the songs ('Don't Say Nothin') that he tends to be a bit too poppy, and this is one of the weaknesses of the record - it's a little overproduced & glib.
However something about this album stops it being saccharine & keeps it on a real footing. And the fact that it has outlasted other contemporary Hip-Hop albums show that it has enduring quality as a record with something to say.
To conclude, if you haven't heard this record in a while, then it is definitely worth another listen. Many records capture an idea & age quickly. This one succeeds in being a capsule AND (like his film Independence Day) has enduring qualities that speak beyond its time.
Truly, with a rap record that contains *not a single swear word*, Will Smith hit the ground running and, what's more, achieved a masterpiece while doing so.
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