JumpinJack AJ

I don't mind Will experiementing. It's just not cool that he waited 20 years to drop and experimental album and won't follow up with the kind of material we know and love him for. "Pretty Girls" was a huge misfire. I'm wondering how many people along the way were down for this. When Will would do something musically over the past decade, he would generally get lots of love....but then he did something the opposite of what got him the love with "Pretty Girls". He needs to follow up with something dope. Walking away on "Pretty Girls" will just be weird and a poor choice.

I love this. I'm glad it was a great time. The clips fromt he tour have looked great, so it's good to hear that the lives up to the hype. I had no doubt that it would. I hope he does do some shows in the US. It's tough. The US is so jaded. They've turned hard on so many iconic artists that they used to embrace. Artists like Will, Jennifer Lopez, who have tons of hits, who were so univerally loved now get the side eye for some reason. Social media comments are often cruel. That's why there are US artists who are only/mostly touring internationally.

Congrats with the book!

I don't want this song to be the last thing we get for a while. I understand he wanted to essentially do a runway song, but I don't think the song checks all the boxes to get a celebrated song in that world. It's certainly not what the masses want. It's a litle frustrating because "Pretty Girls" has gotten a handful of remixes. I'd like to have seen other new songs get remixes, though not club mixes. I like some of the things going on with the Grvfiti Martyrz Remix. They re-work the chorus so it's not just the chinese water torture of the same spoken lines over that basic beat. I like that the Blaccmass Remix smoothes things out, taking away the club sound. I just wish it got a new chorus. The Michael Christmas remix doesn't do much for me. It mostly just speeds up the song without Chipmunking Will's voice. The Andrea Botez Remix is a pretty standard club mix, but I suppose it's still an upgrade on the beat.

Based On A True Story: Rave In The Wasteland - 5 Month Later I was listening to the album in the car the other day and found that my opinion of the album hasn't changed much. I'm curious how others feel about it. This album is the first JJ+FP/Will Smith/DJ Jazzy Jeff album that I didn't play almost non-stop for weeks/months after it came out. While I feel like an artist should freely explore and do what they want, that's the reason it hasn't kept me. "Hard Times (Smile)" and "Make It Look Easy" are still my favorites. I listen to them pretty often. This songs would have found their way to a "traditional" Will Smith album. "Int. Barbershop Day" was necessary to me, but due to the subject matter, I feel the song has a shelf life that has me over it, wishing that dope beat was used for a different subject matter. "You Can Make It" is still a gem. It's a highlight and it gave him a gospel hit. Thank God for that. You Lookin' For Me?, Rave In The Wasteland, and Bulletproof, Work of Art, and Beautiful Scars are all good songs, but I'm rarely in the mood to hear them until they come on. I've never been much of a fan of "Tantrum". I like "First Love" more than most people here, but I feel like both of these songs would have been stronger on other artists' albums, featuring Will. I think he really should have released physical copies. Even with a limited run of a few thousand CD and records (and even cassettes) would have created more interest for certain people and helped it chart. I had been eyeing someone who was selling bootleg versions of it on CD, but they recently stopped offering them, I guess due to the lack of interest. Some people will roll their eyes at this, but I'm just not feeling Will cussing in his rhymes. I'm so glad his tour has been sucessful. Sadly, that's what a lot of legends have to do to keep the momentum going. They'll drop albums and not get the sales they used to, but the tour helps justify it. I kind of wish he'd just release Based On A True Story as a triple album and let the main supporters buy the album and enjoy all he's created. I hope he's in love with being on the road, and I hope it brings him back to center so we can get the classic Hip-Hop that he's a master at.

It's strange. A lot of comments for this era have been positive outside of "Pretty Girls". I guess this channel just isn't for him. I will say that host is super annoying.

Maaaan, he saw that a lot of us were not feeling "Pretty Girls" and was quick to drop some heat. That "expect me on the stage" line is kinda gangsta. I just wish the host would shut up. This better be on the next album.

I think it's cool that he made a capella and instrumentals of "Pretty Girls" available through Instagram, and that he made them wav files (CD quality). I wonder what kind of remixes might come out of that.

I suppose it's kind of true that it's not that serious. I think that the song is just so disappointing that it kind of feels like the end of the world. With the Rave In The Wasteland being so understeamed and under purchased/under downloaded as a whole, it just doen't seem like this song is going to help give the new music a new life. Nothing from this era is even trending in his Spotify top 10. Will often gets called corny when it's not called for. With this song, it is. When we talk about fun songs from JJ+FP and Will, the music is still good. The lyrics are good. This doesn't compare that. A few lyrics are okay, but quite a few of them are dumb...on purpose. Maybe because the masses are into dumb music. I doubt Jeff is involved with this. When he's done dance and house tracks, the music is sooooo much better than this. I think Will just reacted too quick ot the question in that interview. He'd probably credit Jeff in a more noticeable way if he was. Speaking of which, was is Omar credited? I'm not tryng to be rude, but his vocals are just filler back-ups. With the pervous music releases, the feedback was all pretty good. That's not the case with this.

I agree. I think he's just trying different things and getting some sort of satisfaction out of that. However, if he's trying to please fans, I think he needs to go back to his roots. Hip-hop beats with him rhyming, telling stories, cracking jokes. 99% people don't want a new version of Will. They want the Fresh Prince and Will Smith they know to deliver a similar flavor. The pop audience might spend some money on the music (well, back when people spent money on music), but Hip-Hop is where he's always to be an important figure. And for what it's worth, even though I'm not into the song, I bought it.

You're being a bit of a jerk here. We want to keep a standard higher than what you'll find on social media.

It's out. I'm only a few songs in, but I'm loving it.

It's one thing to share an opinion. It's another to come here and act like a jerk toward other board members. You can be removed, if that's your agenda.

I'm not gonna lie. I'm struggling with it. I knew I would when I first saw the teaser. Those opening notes told me I wasn't going to love the sound. When the beat drops in, it's not so bad, but it sounds like something from the 2010's... a low point for music, generally speaking. If he was going to do a house-inspired song, maybe have Jeff and Masters At Work get on the beat. There are a few Fresh Prince style lyrics here, but some of this lyrics are quite dumb, which prevents them for making up for the beat. There is an audience for this, but it's not for me. The music video continues the struggle. There are some fun moments in it, but it's also a bit hard to swallow. As I type this, I'm realizing my own hypocrisy. One of the things about Rave In The Wasteland that has had me listening to it less than I have his other albums, or at least skipping through it more, is that so much of it serious. There's a time and place for that, but I'm not always in a serious mood. "Pretty Girls" provides a contrast. Maybe just not the contrast I prefer. I'm also still struggling with some of the language. Like, why drop the f word in a song like this? At this point, he's just doing it as carelessly as other rappers. Why a music video for this? I feel like if he did a video for "Hard Times (Smile)", it would have been a better investment and generally loved. This song is polarizing, as seen in the comments everywhere. As few music videos as we get, I kind of hate that it was wasted on this song. As for these weird posts, I don't know. They've been happening for months. The ones that are clearly spam get deleted, but the ones that are weird, but possibly made by real people have stayed. As one of the moderators, I struggle with whether they are bots and should be deleted/banned.