Will Smith’s musical comeback has his good moments – Diepresse.com
As Fresh Prince, Will Smith once also charmed as a rapper. After twenty years of silence, the unfolded actor released a new album with « Based on a True Story ». In summer he will be a guest at the Frequency Festival.
Actually, it was forgotten, but it was actually true: Will Smith, who spectacularly through a Watsche at the Oscars from the favor of Hollywood, was the first rapper to get a grammy. A lot of time has passed since 1989. At that time, Smith, who operated under the nickname Fresh Prince, got the trophy together with DJ Jazzy Jeff for the piece « Parents just not understand » published the year before. Why he got back into the hip-hop ring again twenty years after his last album release, can be puzzled over it. After listening to the 13 new pieces of « Based on a True Story » (Slang Records), it can be found that musical further development was definitely not a motive for this comeback. Rather, the vague hope that the music industry will awards its massive misstep rather than the film industry. Because although Smith, as an actor in the previous year, was signed for the fourth part of the « Bad Boys » blockbuster, his future as an A-List actor in Hollywood is still quite uncertain.
So the now 56-year-old started to flee to the front. In « Int. Barbershop Day », the first conversation of his fifth album, « Based on a True Story », he mimics two Will-Smith-Hater and a « Old Jewish Dude » who says things like « You Better Keep His Wife’s name Outta You Mouth ». The other two roles took over Jazzy Jeff and Simone (Female Braider). At the end of the weighing of Pro and Kontra, Smith enters the hairdressing business. The new song cycle can start.
Will Smith as a church man
He does that full -bodied with « You lookin ‘for me? ». For a solemn church organ and a fat beat, the first words begin to bubble out of his mouth: « Ladi dadi, i like to party! » That sounds cheerful at first, but soon you hear that the weight of the treadmill hangs heavily on Smith. « I be on my grind for a long time », he formulates, in an attempt to get respect. The fact is, the lightness of thirty years ago has disappeared. Even the motivating female choirs in the background do not hide over this. « I ain’t hard to find, I’m easy to see, » it says in the chorus. Yes, he is easy to see, especially on Instagram and on TV. But is he also to see through his true motifs?
Sinners are not washed in at the last court. There are churches on earth. And the fallen star went in such a guy for the amazing gospel rap « The Reverend ». Hurtig goes into the « Inner Wasteland », where the inner wasteland is lurking. A gardener who freshly ventilated with a special tool, priest Smith digs into the souls with Sermons. Over three « reverend » pieces, Smith gives the well-meaning church man, who sensitates that mental grief is simply part of human constitution. « Every evere you catch on the street is going through something, » it thunders out of his mouth. His summary? Everyone deserves love, especially those who are not perfect.
Get advice from Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar
In real life, Will Smith got Rat in contemporary hip-hop colleagues like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar as to how he best adjusts his rapping alter ego. The honorary gentlemen advised that he should remain true to his history and strictly rap over those topics that are currently employed. Smith did what he was called. A good part of the album sounds really old school. There are choirs that insert the rhymes doubles and happily « hey he’s ». And then there are also attractive melody ragmments that seduce to smile.
Contrary to expectations, some strong tracks came out. The desolate, confessed « bulletproof », for example. At first he dared to take a small, but by no means nostalgic look back: « Bein ‘trapped inside a fun singer, for Three Decades I Been a Sun Bringer. » Then he raps undressed through his new status: « I feel like i’m to Outlaw. » It is also very worth listening to its « First Love » duet, which is played with the Spanish flamencie India Martínez, on which Smith surprises with massive viril flow. Conclusion: The fallen actor has good moments on this surprising comeback. The future will show whether it can stabilize him as a star. Now he’s on a European tour. In Austria he appears on August 15 at the Frequency Festival.
