*Official* Lost and Found Review Post

[Typhoon20]

here's another

Will Smith has had quite a career, music, television, film, and he has been successful at all of it. Will Smith was one of the first rappers I listened to, I remember when he and Jazzy Jeff burst onto the scene in the late 80's. They had a unique, and radio friendly style. They made hip hop accessible for the masses. They also provided a safe way for surburbia to ease into hip hop. That is not a criticism, it's is just that Smith has chosen to take a positive route with his music which is a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of music which has a much darker aura. This new album is no different in tone than the past. It has an upbeat feeling, positive lyrics, and a lot of skill.

Will proves that he hasn't lost any of his skills since his last release back in 2002. His acting hasn't affected his ability to flow on a mic. I felt funny typing that, but hey, when in Rome. It is true though, he has a great voice and this album proves that he can still rap with the best of them.

Lyrically the album is strong as well. He squares off with those who have accused him of going soft, and its true, you don't need to swear in order to make a good song. There are a variety of targets that he takes aim on throughout the album. People like other rappers who have made hits that he likes, a past girlfriend who since finding God has become holier than thou.

But besides taking aim at others, there is a healthy helping of straight up party music, including the first single, "Switch." There is also a song where he wonders about world events, and the insanity involved. The album is a mixture of party music and social commentary, all wrapped up in a way that is easy to get into.

Rap is not my typically my forte, and being so, I have had some difficulty in writing about it, but the album is very good. Lots of great beats, some great rhymes, and that trademark Smith charisma. And of course there are moments that I identify with, such as "If U Can't Dance (Slide)" considering my considerable lack of rhythm! Then there was the nostalgic moment when i recognized the sampled rhythm of the opening track, "Here He Comes," as the theme song to the original Spider-Man cartoon. On top of all that, Smith can still tell a good story, as evidenced in "Pump Ya Brakes," featuring the talents of guest Snoop Dogg.

Bottomline. Smith is on top of his game with this release, proving once again you don't have to be crude in order to exhibit clever wordplay which also displays social relevance. And again, there is no denying the charisma and skill exhibited by Big Will. Now if he could only diversify his acting .....

Recommended.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/28/073119.php

Exactly ,now that's what I call a great review, honest critic :wiggle:

[Schnazz]

This quote seemed odd:

"On "I Wish I Made That," he jokes about adopting a more-street persona in order to gain some respect ("Just ig'nant, attackin', actin' rough/I mean, then, will I be black enough?"), knowing full well that he'll always be thought of as, well, Will Smith."

That line strikes me as illustrating problems with expectations of rap, not a joke.

[cataboy3]

Review from E! Online:

Our Review:

Although no one asked him to, Will Smith is taking a break from making mind-numbing romantic comedies and sci-fi flicks to return to his rap career. The follow-up to 2002's commercially underwhelming Born to Reign sees the Fresh Prince calling on friends like Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and, uh, Alan Thicke's son for help. Sure, sanitary party jams like "Switch" will get the PTA meeting rocking, but there's just no getting around Smith's insipid rhymes. Or his massive ego. And his reply to Eminem's "The Real Slim Shady" with "Mr. Niceguy" is not only severely late but sounds like grandpa shaking his fist at the neighborhood kids. So not jiggy with it.

Grade: C

[Hero1]

wow the bad reviews keep coming in..i wonder if these people actually listen to the album.. insipid rhymes? are you serious? massive ego? will isnt rapping abt how good he is on this album in fact far from it..and mr nice guy and eminem?it aint even a diss he just says he was dissed by eminem and it bothered him but he moved on... its pretty clear will smith haters are just using lost and found to take shots at Will they arent serious abt reviewing this..it woukldnt matter what will released they'd be dissin it

[fan 4ever]

This one is from rapreviews.com

________________________________________________

Will Smith :: Lost and Found

Interscope Records/Overbrook Ent.

Author: Steve 'Flash' Juon

When the first track on a new Will Smith album is produced by Jazzy Jeff, you're already off to a good start. The halcyon days of Will Smith's rap career were his days as one half of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince. Although a successful run in television and film as an actor spelled the end of the two being a full-time duo, they still collaborate on tracks here and there. The funny thing is that along the line people assumed that because he was so busy acting his albums had to be subpar as a result. Haters said "Big Willie Style" was too pop, even though Smith has been a pop rap star his entire career. Smith slipped a little bit on "Willenium," so critics and fans alike judged his hip-hop career to be over. 2002's satisfying "Born to Reign" was largely slept on as a result. Smith has a message for them on "Here He Comes":

"In the past he, passed with passion

Old fashioned boldly mashin totally crashin

words up, in a disorderly fashion but

back to the lab, and guess what happened?

KABOOM, ooh-WEE! Dude's resilient

Fresh Prince was hot, the movies killed him

Wait, hold up, STOP! You can rebuild him

Lock him back in hip-hop while dude's not filmin

Shocked by the film and the TV money

Went from scenes with Uncle Phil to scenes that's sunny

It's so hard to break free from guaranteed 20

But it's done, so come see the MC honey!"

With a beat and chorus that are a lighthearted play on the "Spider-Man Theme," it's not hard to like the song even if Timbaland & Magoo already did the same gimmick a few years back. Spider-Man's all the rage these days anyway, so if anyone can dust it off and do it again with his own flair, why not Will? (As a warning to other MC's, three times would be overkill, so let's stop before it turns into a 21st century "Between the Sheets.") There's no father to the track Kwame made for the first single "Switch" though, and it's just enough different from what's popping on the charts these days that it may muscle out a little space for Smith between 50 Cent and The Game. Peep the vocals:

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeey - vibe to vibe a second

This a club girl, why you arrived naked?

Hear that, how the veteran glide the record

But don't download, go out and buy the record

Heeeeeeeeeeeeey - heh, somethin sexy 'bout her

Girl on the floor, all her friends around her

I mean real clean, ain't gotta touch or nuttin

It ain't like I like a chick-on-chick or sum'n

I'm just a sucker for a hot track

Gimme a drink and a chick to tell 'Stop that'

Dance is a hop and a clap, flip it 'round

Now bring it on back, take it down - now switch!"

There's a feeling of hunger in the way Smith raps on "Lost and Found," either because he feels he has something to prove or because Smith's passion for hip-hop has not waned despite his Hollywood success. "Survivor, husband, father; dissed by Eminem but didn't bother him/yup well he classy" quips Smith on "Mr. Niceguy," but the pulsating Freshmen beat belies a different story. In other words, Smith may be a nice guy, but that doesn't make him a chump or willing to back down on what he sees as the error in ways of most rappers today:

"On the radio they be over-exaggeratin

So blase with they lies, they be aggravatin me

Agitatin me, but they be waitin and hatin

And they be makin me crazy but I be takin it patiently

People be messin with me, testin me, f'n with me

I wanna send a message to 'em, teach 'em a lesson quickly

They publically addressin me, disrespectin me heavily

They better be lucky the way my blessings affected me, but

{*deep breath*} Calm down Willie

You don't wanna go drop the bomb now Willie

Keep a nice flow for your mom down in Philly

On the news you go if you blow and act silly, y'know?"

The flow is in tact, the rhymes are well written, and even though Smith hasn't crossed that line from pop friendly into hardcore gangsta (with the heavily censored radio singles that accompany it) he's definitely a bit more rugged this time out. Smith even tackles some sensitive issues with songs like "Ms. Holy Roller" where he questions why people want to shove religion in other people's faces when they find Jesus and questions why "if I don't believe what you believe, I'm goin to hell." Don't get it twisted, he's Christian, but in his own POV being pushy about it is the wrong way to go - personally I applaud that stance. There are also other songs that seem designed specifically to chart like "Tell Me Why" with Mary J. Blige and "Pump Ya Breaks" with Snoop Dogg, but they wouldn't work without Smith's effervescent personality and well polished rap flow. As Smith might say himself, eff what you think. He may not be the Fresh Prince these days, but if you're not a total hater or can dig rap without 23 references to gunplay every verse, "Lost and Found" will be much less the former and more than latter. Will never really lost his place in rap, but he's certainly found reason enough to keep on rockin'.

Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8 of 10

source: Rapreviews.com

[Typhoon20]

A great review, finally some appreciation, big up to that fella :afro:

[Hero1]

well done rap reviews!

[Hero1]

blogcritics

Will Smith. That is name you immediately recognize. Most associate it with blockbuster summer movies. Other associate it with rap lyrics with a positive message behind them. People also know him as a devoted husband and father. In the last two decades, Will Smith is a name people have come to know. He is not one that someone will not know about. If it isn't for his presence in movies, his music would get him noticed all too easily. Music is where he began. His first CD was released in the late eighties, and soon after the anthem about how "parents just don't understand" was released, he began his journey into acting with the release of his popular hit television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

It wasn't until his appearance in the blockbuster summer hit, Independence Day, that he became the man of the summer blockbuster. Each and every summer since that movie was released, Will Smith has appeared in at least one of the big summer movies. This past summer it was I. Robot. However, this year has been a busy year for Mr. Smith. Not only was I, Robot released. He also played the voice of a main character in the animated movie, Shark Tale, and he also released another movie, a comedy this time, Hitch, in the last month. With a soundtrack out for that containing one of his songs, you would think a new CD release during all of this craziness would be out of the question.

This is where you would be wrong. This week has seen the release of another CD by Will Smith. This one entitled, Lost & Found. This CD is full of fifteen tracks, with one hidden bonus track.I have been a fan of his music since he began, so picking up this CD wasn't hard to do. I was glad that I did. This CD has what you can come to expect from this man and his music. He has always made a clear stance when it came to having clean cut music. He doesn't feel the need to fill his music with cussing in the lyrics and negative messages. This is what you see so much of in music of today, especially when it comes to those in rap and hip hop genres.

The first single off the CD, "Switch", also appears on the Hitch soundtrack, and their is a video playing currently on MTV now. The song is fun with a good dance beat. As is most of the other songs. What is good about Will is that he can have fun with his lyrics. Another favorite song of mine on the CD is the fourth track, "Mr. Nice Guy," in which Will says just because he is nice doesn't mean he is soft.

However, my favorite song on the entire CD has to be, "Tell me why". The song is a duet with Mary J. Blige, another strong and popular voice in the R&B genre. This song is rumored to be later released as a single, and I really hope that it is. Intense and powerful is how I describe this song. In past CD's, he has had songs for his son, and he does so again in this album. The song discusses the issues of the day, and asks how do you explain it to the children when they ask about what has happened. The song brought tears to my eyes the first few times that I heard it. It is truly powerful, and this song is one of the few times I've ever heard Will use a curse word within in his lyrics. This alone shocked me. However, the way it was used and the song itself didn't even make me bat an eyelash. The emotions were clear to me upon first hearing it. I really do hope this song is released as a single. A good song with a strong positive message is always needed. Music influences people. We all know this.

I recommend this CD. There really one song on this CD I did not like. It is high energy and fun to listen to with positive messages throughout. No matter what this man does, he does it will. This CD is no exception.

[Typhoon20]

This is 1 of the best reviews, mad props :thumb:

[MaxFly]

This one is from rapreviews.com

________________________________________________

Will Smith :: Lost and Found

Interscope Records/Overbrook Ent.

Author: Steve 'Flash' Juon

When the first track on a new Will Smith album is produced by Jazzy Jeff, you're already off to a good start. The halcyon days of Will Smith's rap career were his days as one half of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince. Although a successful run in television and film as an actor spelled the end of the two being a full-time duo, they still collaborate on tracks here and there. The funny thing is that along the line people assumed that because he was so busy acting his albums had to be subpar as a result. Haters said "Big Willie Style" was too pop, even though Smith has been a pop rap star his entire career. Smith slipped a little bit on "Willenium," so critics and fans alike judged his hip-hop career to be over. 2002's satisfying "Born to Reign" was largely slept on as a result. Smith has a message for them on "Here He Comes":

"In the past he, passed with passion

Old fashioned boldly mashin totally crashin

words up, in a disorderly fashion but

back to the lab, and guess what happened?

KABOOM, ooh-WEE! Dude's resilient

Fresh Prince was hot, the movies killed him

Wait, hold up, STOP! You can rebuild him

Lock him back in hip-hop while dude's not filmin

Shocked by the film and the TV money

Went from scenes with Uncle Phil to scenes that's sunny

It's so hard to break free from guaranteed 20

But it's done, so come see the MC honey!"

With a beat and chorus that are a lighthearted play on the "Spider-Man Theme," it's not hard to like the song even if Timbaland & Magoo already did the same gimmick a few years back. Spider-Man's all the rage these days anyway, so if anyone can dust it off and do it again with his own flair, why not Will? (As a warning to other MC's, three times would be overkill, so let's stop before it turns into a 21st century "Between the Sheets.") There's no father to the track Kwame made for the first single "Switch" though, and it's just enough different from what's popping on the charts these days that it may muscle out a little space for Smith between 50 Cent and The Game. Peep the vocals:

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeey - vibe to vibe a second

This a club girl, why you arrived naked?

Hear that, how the veteran glide the record

But don't download, go out and buy the record

Heeeeeeeeeeeeey - heh, somethin sexy 'bout her

Girl on the floor, all her friends around her

I mean real clean, ain't gotta touch or nuttin

It ain't like I like a chick-on-chick or sum'n

I'm just a sucker for a hot track

Gimme a drink and a chick to tell 'Stop that'

Dance is a hop and a clap, flip it 'round

Now bring it on back, take it down - now switch!"

There's a feeling of hunger in the way Smith raps on "Lost and Found," either because he feels he has something to prove or because Smith's passion for hip-hop has not waned despite his Hollywood success. "Survivor, husband, father; dissed by Eminem but didn't bother him/yup well he classy" quips Smith on "Mr. Niceguy," but the pulsating Freshmen beat belies a different story. In other words, Smith may be a nice guy, but that doesn't make him a chump or willing to back down on what he sees as the error in ways of most rappers today:

"On the radio they be over-exaggeratin

So blase with they lies, they be aggravatin me

Agitatin me, but they be waitin and hatin

And they be makin me crazy but I be takin it patiently

People be messin with me, testin me, f'n with me

I wanna send a message to 'em, teach 'em a lesson quickly

They publically addressin me, disrespectin me heavily

They better be lucky the way my blessings affected me, but

{*deep breath*} Calm down Willie

You don't wanna go drop the bomb now Willie

Keep a nice flow for your mom down in Philly

On the news you go if you blow and act silly, y'know?"

The flow is in tact, the rhymes are well written, and even though Smith hasn't crossed that line from pop friendly into hardcore gangsta (with the heavily censored radio singles that accompany it) he's definitely a bit more rugged this time out. Smith even tackles some sensitive issues with songs like "Ms. Holy Roller" where he questions why people want to shove religion in other people's faces when they find Jesus and questions why "if I don't believe what you believe, I'm goin to hell." Don't get it twisted, he's Christian, but in his own POV being pushy about it is the wrong way to go - personally I applaud that stance. There are also other songs that seem designed specifically to chart like "Tell Me Why" with Mary J. Blige and "Pump Ya Breaks" with Snoop Dogg, but they wouldn't work without Smith's effervescent personality and well polished rap flow. As Smith might say himself, eff what you think. He may not be the Fresh Prince these days, but if you're not a total hater or can dig rap without 23 references to gunplay every verse, "Lost and Found" will be much less the former and more than latter. Will never really lost his place in rap, but he's certainly found reason enough to keep on rockin'.

Music Vibes: 8 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 8 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 8 of 10

source: Rapreviews.com

I almost want to print that review and put it up somewhere.

[MarieMJS]

The rapreviews.com was the most honest and attuned to what the album is...

I was worried when I read that a new album was coming, because last one has been, well...its the last one, lets try to forget it LOL...But I was hopeful too, I love Will old school style, and friendly rap, and I wanted to hear some new good sounds!!!

I was nicely surprised and relieved when hearing 30s of every track on msn, the album is really cool, no way that you can hate it, or dislike it, maybe dont like Will´s style, but its GOOD!

And Im glad that a website called rapreviews gives this kind of review...LOL!!

Thats a good sign for everyone :D

:afro:

[henley420]

I find it interesting how a lot of these reviews tend to contradict each other. Some say "Why" is not worthy of being a single, while others praise it, and most of the bad reviewers are spitting out their opinion on how much they like it instead of actually analyzing the CD and putting out the facts. In my mind a reviewer is responsible for giving the reader an idea what the album is like so they can decide for themselves whether or not buy it, not forcing their own ideals down our throats. The good reviews are all really good and not just spouting praise. They're very intelligent. Congrats to those guys!

[Hero1]

the good reviews actually review whether the artist achieved what he set out to do.. i dont care abt some critics opinion..he might not even like that style of music so trashin an album cause he doesnt like say pop/rap is worthless..

[Silver Tiger]

The bad reviewers kinda played it out like this:

Bad Reviewer 1: Time to pop in that Will Smith CD. Never mind, I heard his song "Mitch" on the radio. 2/5, where can I pick up my check?

Bad Reviewer 2: Haha. Will Smith... He's already making millions, he doesn't deserve to make music. You know what? I don't even need to listen to the CD, F!

Bad Reviewer 3: I dunno, it might be good. *pops in CD*... Wait, where's the guns, materialism, and sex? Doesn't he know what rap is?

God Blessa!

[Mike]

The bad reviewers kinda played it out like this:

Bad Reviewer 1: Time to pop in that Will Smith CD. Never mind, I heard his song "Mitch" on the radio. 2/5, where can I pick up my check?

Bad Reviewer 2: Haha. Will Smith... He's already making millions, he doesn't deserve to make music. You know what? I don't even need to listen to the CD, F!

Bad Reviewer 3: I dunno, it might be good. *pops in CD*... Wait, where's the guns, materialism, and sex? Doesn't he know what rap is?

God Blessa!

i wouldnt be surprised. my friends who DESPISED wills music thought that some of the songs were "hot". so they have no idea what they are talking about.

:peace:

Edited March 31, 2005 by WILL IS ILL