My Lost & Found Review

[Big Willie]

This is just basically my interpretation of the album, some of you may have already read it on the ws.com message board.

Big Willie - Lost & Found Review

The rapper/actor Will Smith has returned to the mic and this time he brings a real message, a message that will turn the rap game upside down and hopefully get things back the way they once were and should still be. I have been a Will Smith fan for about 13 years now, and I haven’t heard a content quite like this, so sit back relax and read my interpretation of the newest album from the hip-hop pioneer that is Mr. Willard Christopher Smith…………

Here He Comes: Amazing beat, its well used to try and get kids more involved with his music. Because as we all know Spider Man is and will be for a long time very popular with children and even adults. This song is also stamping authority, meaning it is telling us that he has been gone, but "Here comes big will again". It also tells us of how he feels the actor he has become has killed the MC he was. The Line "Fresh Prince was hot the movies killed him", that’s saying that he has had to stop doing what he loves and what he is best at to pay the bills. As much as he loves acting, hip-hop is, always was and always will be his first love. "Went from scenes with Uncle Phil to Scenes with Sonny", that’s telling us of how he has progressed as an actor and how he feels he has accomplished the transaction from TV to film. "Its so hard to break free from a guaranteed 20, but its done so come see the MC honey", again telling us that acting has helped him along the way and has given him a platform of financial security not many have, but he will still drop all of that so he can do a concert or make an album, because hip-hop is what he loves.

Party Starter: Once again it has a great beat, and is a very descent club track. But the full feel of the song isn’t apparent until the third verse kicks in. "I call for the days of the unadulterated, when the artistry was cultivated", he’s saying with that statement, of how he longs for the days when hip-hop was hip-hop and not the cracker jack "music" we hear now. He’s remembering the way hip-hop was and should still be. "People getting trapped in the track and they be clapping even when the rapping is wack", that’s saying people get so caught up in the beat and of who is performing the track, and who they have been pressured into liking, that they forget the real hip-hop values and start to dance because everyone else is. People over shadow the lyrics is song nowadays, because they are either scared that if they don’t like the type of music their piers like, they will get branded with certain names or get turned on by their "friends", so they stick with what is popular just to fit in. In music no audience seems to have their own opinion anymore. It’s a sad concept when you think legends get over turned by thugs. But with people like Will out there really starting to address the situation deeply, hopefully a change will come soon. “He old fashioned (yup) well lets be happy he back, Ya heard me!”, once again fully marking his return to what he loves, and saying that just because he is different what is topping the charts today doesn’t need he isn’t still the illest MC the world has ever seen.

Switch: Infectious beat that has carried on for many months after its release. Seemed to be just another safe club track to me. But it did work and it did mark the return of Will to hip-hop. For me there is no real point to the song, there’s no doubting the impact Switch made, and there is no doubting the popularity it has brought to Wills rap in the UK. The beat is infectious and the response in a club is electric. It’s not one of my favorites on the album, buts its definitely helped sales so I have no complaints. But there was no real message in the song except in the second verse where he tackles the Actor turned rapper comments. He says "Why is it that when y'all see me at the party, Y'all be looking like 'Ooo he a movie star, He ain't supposed to be out on the floor with everybody', But oh wait, whoa y'all forgetting When I was, amateur spitting before the scripts were written", that’s saying he was a rapper first and not a movie star, and he is probably sick of hearing people refer to him as an actor turned rapper, because as we all know he was the rapper first and his life is hip-hop. Apart from that and the beat, which was amazing, there didn’t really seem to be a point from the song other than to play it safe and sell records. It was a safe play that worked really well, but I think a more meaningful song would of equipped the overall feel of what the album could contain would of been better.

Mr. Nice Guy: This for me is the first time the album starts to reveal its importance. With this song he tackles many critics and people that have dissed him in the past, but he still keeps his dignity intact by not resulting to using profanities or trying to pick fights with the dissers, he just lets them know that he’s noted there comments, but they are the biggest fool, because he ain’t going to get all riled up and angry because that isn’t his style. He approaches it in a respectful manner but he’s telling them I know what you said and it doesn’t bother me, but if I want I can reply so don’t think I’m a push over. “Big Will just get another 20 mil walk right past E”, referring the Eminem’s comments in The Real Slim Shady, he saying so what, I could care less. Eminem is the one always talking about money and how he has used black culture to make himself rich and that he is a genius in rap, but he had to diss people to get there, where as with this comment Will dismisses Eminems initial comment and says basically, Eminem may have money, but Will’s only got to do a movie and he gets 20 million and raises his head way above Eminem status. He wasn’t trying to start a fight or a feud, he was just letting people that have criticized him in the past that he is capable of reply so don’t try it again. This was a good track to start to develop the rest of the album and start to drop the real meaningful tracks and lyrics into place.

Ms Holy Roller: This song tackles two situation in life. Divorce and forced religion. Will assesses his divorce to Sheree and how things were after they split and how she acted after the divorce. Not much really to say on that situation, But moving on to the religion side of the song. He’s basically saying that people should be able to make up their own mind in religion and not have it forced onto them by Bible Thumpers or Bible Bashers. In all reality he is telling us that he believes religion pollutes the world if it is being forced onto someone without their permission. Religion is like love, either it sparks or it doesn’t, but the most important thing is to have your own opinion and not let someone pressure you into joining a certain religion just because they have good views on it. “Ms. Holy Roller, new angel, got ya Bible out shoutin’ and you’re ringing a bell, mid-life, reborn, can’t wait to tell, if I don’t believe what you believe, I’m going to hell”, this is telling us how people take time out of their day to try and force a religion onto someone. How they start to preach in the middle of the street. The song also appeals to people who convert to religions, basically telling them at one stage you was sinning at will and now you are preaching Gods name. Let individuals have their own opinion, don’t give them yours.

Lost & Found: Once again tells us of how hip-hop has changed and how every artist today has the same flow and the same style. “Original – A first form from which varieties arise, an authentic work of art as opposed to an imitation or reproduction”. This tells us that people are going with what sells well for other at the time. He’s saying the only reason the legends don’t sell well anymore is because they have their own style of rapping. Imitation of what people do is what is ruining the rap game, everyone sounds the same with little lyrical ability between their lips. “Why should I try to sound like y’all sound, that’s what’s wrong with the rap game right now”, yeah why does he have to be something he isn’t, he has his own style, a style that is better than anyone out there today so why not express it, so what if he isn’t “Gangster” or he isn’t quite hard enough, his music has more power than every member of G-Unit put together. People have to be their own person and write with their own style. The main rule of hip-hop is to remain true to yourself and be individual and write about your life, I refuse to believe that every other artist on the market has had exactly the same life, because from listening to their music, it seems they have. “Throwback jerseys (check), champagne bottles (check) lots of models (damn)”, showing that in some way every rapper wants to be like Will Smith, because they follow his trade marks in their own videos and songs, but they try to play it off as their own. “First ever rap Grammy”, yes people Will Smith and Jeff Townes won the first ever rap Grammy, not 50 Cent, not Eminem it was Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, they have laid down the foundations for hip-hop to expand, but its just a shame as to what it has expanded into.

Tell Me Why: Now this track comes straight from the heart, it shows that the situations the world in is can be approached and discussed in a respectful manner and he doesn’t have to come out and attack the infiltrators of 9/11, he could just put pen to paper and write from the heart. The best thing about this song is the inclusion of his family, “My son said Daddy were there people in that building”, that shows how the situation can affect everyone surrounded by the on goings. “A cold sweat, frozen with a lump in my chest, I heard his question, couldn’t bring my lips to say “Yes” to him”, showing that there is a father under the rapper/actor and how it is hard to tell children that people have died because of such despicable acts. In the second verse he touches on the preventable situations in the world. How great leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X have departed, how 2 Pac and Biggie were killed consequently taking some legends away from hip-hop prematurely. He shows his emotion in this song when you hear the loud beep over this line “Tell me why did Reginald Denny deserve his fate, & why the f**k can’t love seem to defeat hate”, that’s showing his anguish towards the world and how even Will Smith who remains true to his morals every day, can drop them in an instant because of how the worlds state is. “Why did my brother Sterling have to die at that age”, once again a reference to his family and how you cant take anything for granted these days. Sterling was Will’s half brother who died suddenly before the Bad Boys premiere. This was the first real time he had approached a death in his family, and for me it just adds to the overall homely feel to the song and the meaning behind it. “We got more stores than they got rice under Buddha lazy”, saying that people in America and wealthy countries are more interested in material things than they are in helping the less fortunate eat. It’s basically saying they’ve got more stores in America than the third world countries have got grains of rice.

I Wish I Made That/Swagga: Will puts across and actually gives props to people who have made songs that he would of liked to release. He is basically telling us that for him to remain popular he wish he would of made songs that sold well like Drop It Like Its Hot. But for me the main emphasis is on “Summer, Summer, Summertime, Seem like all I got”. This means that black radio and hip-hop radio won’t play his music or have just overlooked his music since Summertime. “Even though the fans went out and bought enough”, saying that basically event though the fans still love him, the critics still think he is soft. But he still knows he has loyal fans and doesn’t let the critics bother him because at the end of the day he will sell records, because his fan base in huge. “Maybe I should just have a shoot out, Run up in the bank, bustin’, grabbin’ all the loot out, Whoop somebody ass, taking my boot out, Right on TV so ya’ll can see me, Just ignorant, attacking, actin’ rough, I mean, then will I be black enough, Oh wait maybe I’ll jack a truck, Full of cigarettes, guns & drugs & stuff”, this shows his fury to the way hip-hop is being demonstrated, and its giving the reasons so many are now famous, because they have done bad things that make them look “Gangster”. Wills just expressing how if he was to do that then he would gain some recognition, but he would never do it because, he doesn’t believe it that sort of thing and its goes against everything he believes in. Swagga then kicks in and he is expressing how he is back, and he is here to stay no matter what critics, haters or anyone says. Its meaning he is back to his lyrical best and the content of Lost & Found certainly portrays that.

Pump Ya Brakes: This is a fun song that just chills out on the serious side of the album. There isn’t that much to it really, except it shows people how a relationship shows be portrayed, you should be faithful and honest otherwise your relationship has failed. Much like the relationship Will and Jada have. There relationship is based on trust, a trust that is so cemented that they can talk about anything at anytime and not get angry or upset, they will just take to conversation on board and try to overcome or change certain aspect to be successful throughout, it seems to be working to me. Bock to the song, it will be popular if it was released, Snoop Dogg has got back to the top of his game again and will see people listening to it because he is involved with the track. The moral of the track is basically, you can look but you can’t touch. Good relationships are hard to come by, if you have one, don’t blow it.

If U Can’t Dance: This is just basically giving hope to anyone out there who isn’t an Usher or a Justin Timberlake on the dance floor. It’s just a mellow track that tells people that you don’t have to be like Hammer to get on the floor and dance. It’s just a simple two step. Many people still go for the old school stuff like Pelvic Trusts, but this song gives you the confidence and guidance to just get up there and dance to a slow track that doesn’t need much energy. It gives you the basic rules for people that can’t dance. So they can pull off this dance. “Rule #1, know ya name, if it ain’t Usher, Justin or Hammer, then we can touch ya, Rule #2, never do a dance you can’t do, why stupid, Cause you can’t do it” and “Rule #3 is easy, please remember that you ain’t on “Beat Street”, Sweet feet, you ain’t tryin’ to win no TV, another dude did a move, No need to out do it, Rule #4, out on the floor, don’t be doing moves that don’t nobody do no more, Draw too much attention to be adventurous out on the floor, There’s a reason that don’t nobody do ‘em no more, you feel me? This may be hilarious, but Rule #5 is serious”. If you can follow these rules then you can conquer the dance floor without forcing your ability or making yourself look stupid.

Could You Love Me: This is aimed at every fan that say they love Will, but actually have no reason to. Could you love him if he wasn’t famous, the answer is no because if he wasn’t famous you wouldn’t have a clue who he was. “How do I respond to the phrase, “I love you Will!”?, Kinda heavy when I hear it, I’d be like damn for real?”, in that lyric Will is basically telling us he finds it hard to believe that people who don’t know him personally can say they love him. “In your heart be clear before you bless my ear”, that’s Will putting across, people need to know that they do have these emotional feeling towards him before they start shouting it in the street. And how he wants respect before love, because respect is the key to success. “Just a CD, nah man, a piece of me”, once again showing his love for hip-hop and how he doesn’t just make music, he lives music and each song is a part of his life that he shares with is fans. This is major response to fans he gains that don’t stay fans for long. I believe in all honesty this song is saying, if your not going to be loyal, then don’t bother becoming a fan in the first place, there is going to be bad times when I’m not going to be on top and the flicks wont be hitting, but if you remain loyal to me through this time then you are a true fan, if your going to leave at the first sign of weakness, I don’t nor did I ever want you as a fan”.

Loretta: This tells the story of an over obsessed fan that took her addiction to far as she resorted to stalk Will. This song is pretty self explanatory if you listen to the lyrics. She was so obsessed she would follow his where ever he went, hide behind dumpsters and write love letters. In reality the love letter is where it all started. She composed this letter to Will to show her love for him, and after the letter was finished she realized that if she was to send it to an address, the chances would be slim that he would actually receive the letter. So she took her addiction to another level, she wanted to give the letter to him in person. In trying to do this she turned on her own family, the most important people in your life, all because of a celebrity. Basically Loretta was a stubborn, crazy girl who was stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Inevitably she would get caught and eventually get found out by the police at the Academy Awards in 2001. “My husband meeting me here”, She was so obsessed she had actually convinced her self that Will Smith was her husband, and when the news got out that he had married Jada Pinkett, she “took her love letter out and wrote down, P.S I hate her”. My interpretation on obsessed fans is, they would want to see Will happy, oh how wrong and I. She didn’t care that Will was happily married to Jada, all she cared about was being with Will herself, a dream that was to far in the distance for her to achieve, but she still tried to pursue it. In my opinion her being arrested is what she deserved if we are to believe what is portrayed in the lyrics, not only should she be in prison, she should be in a padded room.

Wave ‘Em Off: This song is the basic theme behind the whole album. The album portrays the way Will feels when he receives criticism and how he takes the comments. “I ant concerned with ya hating, that don’t slow down my paper makin’”, showing us that Will doesn’t care what is said about him as long as he is happy with his music and his loyal fans fell like wise, who cares. “Love me I paved the way”, telling us that he and Jeff won the first rap Grammy, no-one else, they paved the way for artists like Eminem and 50 Cent, but all they can do is diss Will and Jeff because their content is different. When in reality these people need to thank Will and Jeff for making their career they rely on so dearly possible. “Great do need hate to survive”, exactly, it’s about jealousy, Will probably likes the critics because it means he is doing something right, and they are jealous of his ability, so they start to find the smallest imperfection and expand and blow it all up out of proportion. Finally the title of the song “Wave ‘Em Off”, just letting people know they can have their opinion, but it don’t phase him in any way.

Scary Story: This probably the most in depth heart felt song on the album. In this song he expresses his emotions and the fear he consumed in the hardest time of his life to date. In 1989 Will went bankrupt and was struggling to make ends meet. In this song he shows how one thing like spending money too excessively can turn your life on its head. As many of the other songs on the album the lyrics speak for the track and show how Will really felt at this time. The song also touches on how Will made his rise to fame and how obstacles in his way held him back, but he was determined to reach his dream, and he ultimately did so, with or without stoppages on that way, he still realized his dream. To finish on this track, the main moral of this track is to remain true to you and never give up, no matter how tough a situation might get. If you dare to dream anything is possible.

To conclude, the album has been the best so far from Will as far as revealing his true feeling about his life and the world we live in. When I listen to this album I feel as if I am living the life he describes, and start to feel each emotion he describes in the lyrics. One of my main hobbies regarding Will Smith is to analyze his music and see if I can get the in depth meaning behind each song. I have tried my best to do so with this review, Feel free to add your reviews to the topic, this topic is for as many reviews as we can get and as many different ways in which Lost & Found makes everyone feel. Because as we all know, Will has a song for every emotion, and he portrays most of these in Lost & Found. It’s the best from him lyrically in a long time. New fans have been lucky to come in at such a good stage in his career, where his lyrical ability is of the highest standard. Hopefully the new fans can remain and ultimately prove that they can live up to the song “Could You Love Me”, its one thing to say it, but its another to act it.

Edited December 24, 2005 by Big Willie

[Luigie]

You really got inspired man! :jusmindyabizness: :2thumbs:

[3cookies]

whoa...that is a deep review,... glad 2 see the inspiration. I agree also with his attempt (if thas the case) to try to get kids involved with his music, because my 2 youngest sons LOVe "Here He Comes"... haha... its gets so much play in the car, I really have to hide the cd. (no offense to my kids...but geeze boys! CAn I listen to another track plz? )...LOL :2thumbs: I prolly play the cd this morning..

but thanx 4 ur review... I 'aven't written one,... not as good with reviews as u guys r... :2thumbs:

peace,

cookie

[Turntable]

Good Review!

Loved that part about Lost And Found!

[rcpbball30]

Great review, really indepth.