Ever since he became a mega-box office star, Will Smith's been accused of losing his rap chops. But what the haters don't seem to understand is this: he's one of the few actors in the world who command $20 million a movie. And the only one who takes the time between filming to return to his roots, hip-hop, where he passionately speaks his mind. Unlike a number of better-selling rappers on the charts today, Smith is obviously not rhyming for dollars. He does hip-hop from the heart.
To that end, the Philly native's latest release, Lost and Found, is one of his stongest statements yet: a return to Smith's roots which sees him combine the party rap he made famous as the Fresh Prince, with songs that reflect truly mature, sometimes dark, subject matter. The track “Tell Me Why,” set on the evening of 9/11, features an emotional Smith, backed by a searing Mary J. Blige, as he addresses communicating the harsh side of human behavior to a child, in the vein of Jadakiss’ “Why.”
“Tell me why did James Byrd, Jr. have to be touched/ Tell me why did Martin and Malcolm depart from us/ tell me why did the sniper make that little boy shoot/ And why is human life always denied /Tell me why did Mandela have to live in a cage/ Tell me why did my brother Sterling die at that age. What am I supposed to say to my kids when they say ‘Why?’”
"Mr. Niceguy," sees Smith talk about how people, namely gansta-wanna-bes, mistake being a gentleman for being a chump. "Sometimes y'all mistake nice for soft," he quips on the track that witnesses him putting all the naysayers in their place. And on what could be seen as an answer cut to Kanye West's "Jesus Walks," "Ms. Holy Roller" Smith shines the spotlight on Christians (he himself is a Christian) who feel the need to force their religious views on others. "Switch," "If U Can't Dance (Slide)," and the Snoop Dogg collabo "Pump Ya Brakes," are just pure unadulterated party tracks that show the light side of the father of two who claimed "parents just don't understand" all those eons ago.
The mix of wisdom-filled joints, feel good, straight out party jams and old school flavor is what makes this set one of Smith's strongest since the days of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. With his latest release, not only does Smith prove you don't have to curse, or reference guns and hoes every other verse, he shows he's a grown-ass man who hasn't lost his passion for hip-hop.