Lost and Found

Will Smith is taking a break from making movies to return to his rap career. You can't help but respect Will Smith for continuing to make albums and maintaining a semi-frequent release schedule, despite his more lucrative and demanding movie career. More than ever, despite all the hits he has racked up since the late '80s, it seems like Smith is an actor who happens to record every now and then, rather than a rapper who acts or even an actor/rapper. The follow-up to 2002's commercially underwhelming Born to Reign sees Smith calling on friends like Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg and Robin Thicke. Smith’s longtime friend DJ Jazzy Jeff also makes quite a large appearance on this LP. Will Smith shows a side of seriousness and more emotion in his writing.

Party Starter is the type of song to blast in arenas. Not typical party song lyrics are awesome. Lost & Found is taking shots at the current state of the rap game, making mention to LL Cool J, Rakim, Slick и Doug E. Fresh. The best thing about the album is the new-found depth that the Will Smith goes into, songs like Tell Me Why refer to the September 11 attacks and also the deaths of the greatest black men alive (Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G…). Tell Me Why – in the vein of Jadakiss' Why, only far more dramatic, with Mary J. Blige on board to expected good effect – is the most sobering song Smith has written, expressing how difficult it can be to explain the ugly aspects of the world to a child. On I Wish I Made That he jokes about adopting more of a street persona in order to gain some respect, knowing full well that he'll always be thought of as, well, Will Smith. The collaboration with Snoop Dogg in Pump Ya Brrakes Feat was a surprise, but none-the-less an enjoyable song. The Elephant Man remix of Switch is also another song that turned out to be very good. Some of the playful songs are as joyously boisterous and willfully corny as anything in Smith's past, making Lost and Found an entertaining and thoughtful album for young kids and their parents to listen to and talk about. Actually there is no bad track on the album that wouldn't be a huge hit. DJ Jazzy Jeff adds another level to the album with his impressive DJing skills. Lost and Found has taken hip hop to another stage showing you can release a brilliant album (maybe even the best) without cursing in every verse. Fresh. Original. Different. Will Smith has gone in a totally new direction this LP.

Beginning his career during the mid-'80s under the name the Fresh Prince, by the following decade rapper Will Smith was one of the biggest superstars of his time – not only a pop music sensation, he also conquered television and eventually feature films, starring in a string of box-office megahits. Born September 25, 1968, in Philadelphia, he was 16 when he met aspiring DJ Jeff Townes; joining forces as DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, the duo immediately became local favorites. Clean-cut, witty, and easygoing, the duo's bubblegum approach was a stark contrast to the dominant, harder-edged rap sound of the period; viewed as a non-threatening alternative to their peers, they received the parental seal of approval, and their appeal spread across racial lines as well. Soon Hollywood began taking notice of Smith's success. He starred in several box-office champs and continued his music career under his given name with the debut solo LP, Big Willie Style (1997), notching the hits "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", "Just the Two of Us", and "Miami". Shortly he recorded the album Willennium (1999). His third album Born to Reign was released in 2002. It fell short of gold-level sales by some distance. That disappointment, combined with some blows he has taken from harder rappers and radio personalities, has made him a little bitter. This is one of the factors that makes Lost and Found the least party-oriented album Smith has made, despite a generous supply of the lighthearted, humorous songs you're accustomed to hearing from him.