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Man, I am absolutely loving this album!!!! I love the barbershop, absolutely mesmerized by it. Rave in the wasteland has got me, hard. I love the sermons, his style on those are outstanding. I’m loving all the different styles he’s rapping in, his flow is fantastic. The hard times disco rap vibes so smooth, love it. His message resonated with me in a major way, more than anything since code red. Love the guitar on First Love. The fresh feel of Make it Look Easy. This is feeling very much like my favorite solo album, and second favorite after Code Red. This album is way better than I was expecting. So much better. Fire, just absolutely fire. Beginning to end.

I am so happy with this album, it’s exceeded my expectations, been playing it all day. The barbershop intro is the perfect start, that stuff needed to be said and it’s great to see Jeff on there. I’m enjoying “you looking for me”, it’s a middle of the road track for me. ”Rave in the wasteland” was a huge shock for me, seeing the title, it looked a little odd but when that beat started it was crazy. Sounds so different from anything he’s done, his flow is insane. Possibly my fave of the new, unreleased ones. Love “bulletproof” I think I heard it a while back when he did it live and I’ve been waiting to hear it properly. Definitely one of the better tracks of the album. “Hard times” is great, I love RnB so the female vocalist sounds great to me. Only negative was Will wasn’t quite featured enough on it, but musically it’s beautiful. Been playing “beautiful scars” lots the last few weeks, one of my top tracks of the album. “Tantrum” has been out a while, I’ve seen most people love this one, I like it but it’s lower down on my list of tracks. Maybe I’ve overplayed it waiting on this album haha. “First love” is my least favourite, the vocalist just isn’t my style and Wills flow just isn’t as good. I don’t dislike it so much but it’s just nowhere near as good as the rest of the album. Don’t know why they chose to release it. Really like “make it look easy”, it’s grown on me a lot throughout the day. It’s almost like big Willie style vibes. Such a nice, chill, fun song. I’ve always really liked “you can make it”. It came out when I was coming to the end of a tough couple of years, so it’s a special song to me. I’ve always really enjoyed “work of art” too. Being the second song out made me realise we were gonna get some great music out of Will after 20 years. Overall, love it. I think it’s perfect to come out with music like this after recent years. I’m ok with the swearing, he’s no longer got his squeaky clean image so he may as well haha. I’m hoping the next chapter/album has more fun, upbeat songs. But as the first one back, it’s just right.

Found a way to log back in to my original account and so fun to see everyone hyped. I have to say, I can’t stop playing the intro barbershop - straight up I think I can beat Mike Tyson vibes. Been giving the whole record a couple plays so far. Definitely have three or four favs and trying to get a handle on the rest.

Great to some of the old heads returning to the forum! Make It Look easy is also really catchy!

Hey guys, just thought you'd like to celebrate my one year anniversary on the JJFP board!

Man, the day has come. For Lost & Found, I want to Walmart to get the CD at midnight. I wish I had that kind of experience this time, but I had to settle for buying it/downloading it at midnight. I bought the regular version and the edited version. I drove around earlier today blasting the music on a super sunny 65 degree day. It was heaven. 1. Int. Barbershop - Day - I love this sound. More of this. I like the banter on this track and that Will specifically voices the characters who are critical of him. The back and for with Jeff is so welcomed. It brings the energy of the JJ+FP albums. B. Simone is a welcome addition to them. 2. You Lookin' For Me - Man, this is the Fresh Prince I love to hear. Especially those opening lines that borrow from Slick Rick. I love the lyrics and subject matter. The choir on the backup vocals sweeten up the kinda dark-sounding beat. 3. The Reverend (Rave Sermon) - I'll say this about all of the interludes. I like the encouragement and the gems he shares. It makes me wonder if they would be better coming from Will straight, instead of through the reverend character. With albums, I tend to get tired of interludes after the first few listens. 4. Rave In The Wasteland - Man, i love this beat and the energy. The subject matter is good, too. 5. Bulletproof - I like the energy and lyrics on this one, too, but I think the production is leaning average. Jac Ross has a great voice for this. 6. Hard Times (Smile) - Man, I love this one I must say, I slept on Teyana, but this song makes me want to check out her music. The slick, classic Hip-Hop meets R&B sound is my favorite. I like FP's relaxed flow and vocal presence. I'm so into this beat and the smoothed out chorus that I haven't really unpacked the lyrics yet. 7. Beautiful Scars - I love the production on this. I like the changes in his flow throughout it. Admittedly, I'm not a Big Sean fan. I always though his voice and presence was weak and his lyrics un relatable. I like him a little more on this compared to anything else I've every heard him on. I would have preferred to hear someone else on the track who is more on Will's level. No offense, to Omar, but I don't the auto tune chorus. I'd put someone like Usher on the chorus to upgrade it. 8. Tantrum - I'm not saying it's bad, but this is my least favorite song. It's just kind of repetitive. The beat is about as standard as you can get. Will holds it down. I'm not crazy about Joyner's voice. Why is Will kicking Joyner Lucas' butt on his own sound? 9. First Love - I like the artistic move with this one. I don't think it gets enough credit. However, I think it definitely takes down the pace of the album. I feel like it would serve better as a single or as a song oen one of the collaborating artists' albums. 10. Make It Look Easy - This is a really nice one. I love the sound and vibe. Like "Hard Times (Smile)", I think FP is the most comfortable on this sound. I guarantee this will be pumping through my car speakers all summer long. 11. The Reverent (YCMI) - I nice message to lead into "You Can Make It". 12. You Can Make It - This is a highlight. Heck, it crossed over to be a hit on gospel charts. Will is emotionally raw on the song. Fridayy complements it well and hearing Sunday Service literally gives me goose bumps. If this is the only real hit off the album, that's good enough. 13. Work of Art - The beat is modern, but dope. The lyrics sum up this era for Will. Jaden's feature is authentic and not forced. I know nothing about Russ, but his makes a mark on this. 14. The Reverend (WOA Sermon) A nice send off for the album. Overall I'm really happy with this album. I think it was weird that we heard so many singles off it before we got the whole thing. It made the listening experience kind of weird compared to having only heard a song or two. I feel like the songs that weren't released as singles are the glue of the album. Most of them are my favorites. I think my critiques are the sequence of songs. I feel like "Work of Art" should have been one of the first songs and that "You Can Make It" should have been the last song. I think the sound and production is kind of all over the place, which prevents it from feeling a completely cohesive album. I feel like I'll listen to some of these songs A LOT and some I'll only listen to when I'm in the mood to hear them. I haven't felt that about his previous albums. I gotta be honest, Will cussin' in his songs still sits with me funny. I'm sure 99% of the time I'll be listening to the edited version of the album. I really hope this album gets some shine. It's a reminder that the Fresh Prince is a legit emcee and musician. This is good music....good Hip-Hop.

This is a solid album. Bulletproof is an absolute banger. Tantrum, too. I also really like Rave, Scars, Hard Times, and You Can Make It... The intro is mildly amusing, but for me, it’s a track to experience as part of the full album rather than something I’d play on its own. That said—unlike most on this forum—I actually like First Love. Overall, I’m really enjoying this more aggressive, direct evolution of WS's music… and I’m about to cue up Bulletproof again! For me this is WS’s best release since Willennium. It's obviously very different, but it reflects well where he is in life—just as that album did. It's grown up and gritty.

His flow on Hard Times reminds me of his Born to Reign era. Like it a lot. But my favorite song is still Beautiful Scars. I hope he will have more tracks with Jeff on his next "Season"

Great to see some old faces posting (myself included) I'm really enjoying the album. Not a bad song on here, it plays out as a piece of art well. But yes First Love just seems a little out of place. I like it's concept and meaning. But as a song, not so much.

I really like this album! Sheesh... I really like this album! Props to Will and those with whom he collaborated. I'm certainly going to have a lot more to say and there will be quite a bit to discuss, but I feel like these lyrics from "You Lookin' For Me" encapsulate the last few years, the album, and his career really well. I've been on my grind for a very long time. I've been on your mind for a very long time. Yeah, you got your life, but your life ain't like mine. Looking for me? You can find me where the light shine. Where the light shine...

Man I can’t believe we finally got here. 20 years to the day (almost) since Lost & Found was released. I was always going to love this album, no doubt, but it has completely surpassed my expectations. All of the new tracks (that we hadn’t fully heard yet) are incredible. Int. barbershop is classic JJFP with a modern self aware spin that completely blew me away. you lookin for me is incredible too. An interesting mix of old and new. It goes hard. Rave in the wasteland was completely unexpected. Very different feel, reminds of that short clip Will released years ago.(where he mentioned King Kong) has a “black skinhead” vibe mixed with Will singing, Listening to this track was the moment I knew this album was a certified banger. Bulletproof is possibly my fav track on the album, feels like it deserves to be a hit track too. Bringing soul, rock, and rap in a way only Will can. Hard Times (Smile) is great too. I have a big soft spot for upbeat fun Will songs like this. I wasn’t sure at first, but when the beat hits off the top I knew I was in. Nice to hear will feeling positive again. I like teyana’s vocals too. Make it look easy is a contender for my favourite track as well. Another upbeat positive song where Will is exuding confidence. Can’t imagine listening to this and not smiling. Love the hook too. Not one of the new tracks was a miss for me. I really enjoyed hearing the tracks we have already gotten all together in one cohesive package. The interludes were great too. Just makes it all fit together nicely. It will be a lot of fun to listen to all 3 of these albums together when it’s all said and done. out of the tracks we already had, You Can Make It and Tantrum are my favourite. Both are fantastic for completely different reasons. I really like beautiful scars and work of art as well, but I prefer all of the new tracks that were released with the album. I’m surprised they were released ahead of these. as many others seem to agree, first love is the weakest track for me. I still like it and it’s certainly growing on me. But it’s not a slam dunk like the rest are for me. I think I actually prefer team tomodachi over it. Certainly falls in a similar vein as fiesta & esta rico. I love will’s moments, but the rest is hard to vibe with. we’ve certainly come a long way from “get lit” FP is back imo. Couldn’t be more excited for what’s to come and to finally see Will (and hopefully Jeff) perform live.

I just ordered Tickets for his show in Frankfurt in July. Never thought that day would come.

I'm always happy when people find their way back to the art that ignites their passion. Good for Will. It's been years since I've been on here. Hope everyone is doing well.

I dont wanna sound too harsh, but this is what i honestly feel. I don't know what it is, but Will sounds off. It's like he's trying too hard to come off as dominant, superior, hard and at the same time he lacks confidence... which gives me a feeling of not being authentic. I totally understand why people are annoyed, especially the younger generation. He probably comes off as somebody who just started rapping. I have also read some comments and you really can't refute the criticism, when people f.e. point out that he rhymed "tonight" with "tonight" three times on Pretty Girls. His flow is very basic, his rhyme scheme is the same as 20 years ago. It looks like he never touched the pen in the past 20 years. As i mentioned previously, i think he is way behind his peers like LL, Rakim, Nas, which is very sad. His rap persona ego is just too big compared to what he delivers. I'm sorry that i couldn't be more positive and i don't wanna spoil the excitement, but as a long time fan i just had to express my true feelings. I still hope that he will go back to his roots and make some fun storytelling tracks with Jeff.

The song is getting a better reaction than what I thought! I've even had a friend who's not particularly a Will fan message me saying, "Will's new track is a banger!" I don't think that's happened since Switch! It might not be what we were hoping for or expected but maybe this gets more people listening to Will's new music, which can only be a good thing! All I know is, I got to see Will live this week in London, he signed my Willennium vinyl, I'm seeing him again in August and he's consistently releasing new music. So I'm not going to take this for granted. In 10 years, Will will be in his mid 60s and none of this will be happening. I'm just going to enjoy that he's still making music while I can!

The new song is cool and I’m glad Will is having fun with the music again, but I was thinking of something…he constantly talks about wanting to be respected as an artist. He wants his name in the same breath as Dre, Jay, Rakim, LL, Slick Rick, etc…but if he wants that we need some real hip hop. He needs to dig back deep to his roots. We know he’s capable of spitting bars. We need more tracks like Tantrum. These days it’s hard to sell and it’s even harder to get a hit like Jiggy…I feel like that’s kinda what he’s shooting for with a summer anthem like this but at the end of the day he has a chance to really do something to cement his name in hip hop. Not that that isn’t already in stone, but to really show out and prove himself in a rap game that’s currently lacking. You look at Nas, LL, Dre, Snoop…these old heads are still spittin and still getting respect. I really hope these next 2 seasons have some real stuff. Just my two cents. If this is what he wants and he’s just having fun then I support it.

How awesome is this?!

He posted this on his IG.

This is hilarious!

One thing I find funny about the reverand interludes is Will doing an old man voice when he is old now On the Reverand in And in this Corner it was much more of a shift in his voice!

There's lyric videos for all the songs that don't have a music video...

Been listening to it all day. Some of the songs that I didn't like much the first time are growing on me. I like the different styles and I like that he tried new things.

I really like the album, can't wait to see and hear those songs live on his tour. And I'm totally hyped that Jeff will be along for the Tour! Also very much looking forward to seasons 2 & 3 of that album.

I've just listened to the whole album. AMAZING! The first track is great. JJFP style. 'Rave In The Wasteland' is awesome too. Very different to what he's done before. I think 'You Can Make It' is possibly the best song in the album, though my favourite of them all is 'Bulletproof'. This song is just on another level for me. Loving the new music! Thanks, Will.

The album dropped in Belgium. This has been worth the wait. Damn! That first track has some real JJFP vibes. Never thought we would get something like that from Will. Love the album. It really feels like an album. Bulletproof goes hard! You Looking for me is dope! Hell, Rave in the wasteland is crazy. The interludes make it feel like a real album. I agree with Tim about First Love, it will be a skip for me.

Okay I got the album so my thoughts, Opening track is very good. Perfect intro to the album with Will playing the haters after the slap where he got cancelled and Jeff defending him. Makes perfect sense that Wills potna of 40 years steps in here, Its hard to judge the album when it’s only 36 minutes and we’ve already heard 80% of it but it’s nice to hear it as a whole and a singular piece of work. You can tell this album Will was getting out of the hell of post Oscar slap and I love that Will used music to get out of that situation. there is a lot of cursing on the album which is definitely very different and there isn’t much rapping. And all the rapping is in a new rap style. I know I’d prefer a hip hop album and something more old school and fun but it is what it is. i do think it’s a good album. My fav tracks are You looking for me, Bulletproof, Tantrum and You Can Make It. when you listen to the album Tantrum really stands out as a hard hitting rap track. I think First Love is the weakest track and could have been left off. I’m interested in everyone else’s thoughts. Also interested in the second album in the series I presume it’s going to be about 35 minutes like this one.

Got tickets for Wolverhampton to meet up with Brakes, Kev and Michelle. The JJFP crew is back together. We’ve not seen each other since 2018

This is kind of a weird thing to make you tap out on an artist you've like for a long time. Did you have the same problems with "The Rain"? Let an artist express themselves. You don't have to rock with every facet of their art.

the Song and Video are amazing. I can not wait for this album

Hilarious!

Noriega is a terrible interviewer, but Will makes up for it. He tells some stories for the first time here.

That “freestyle” is good! He needs to put stuff like this on the next album.

As if Will is coming out with the best stuff of his career at age 56. He’s got more charisma in this than every modern rapper put together. As a fan, we know he’s awesome but this even has me shocked how good it is.

This is fire!!

Listen to our thoughts on the album in the latest episode of the Will Smith Podcast:

I'd be repeating pretty much what everyone has already said here but the album is awesome. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the swearing but that's not a deal breaker for me. Hearing the F bomb on a Will Smith album feels weird to me. I'll need more time with the album and I may be jumping the gun here but this might be in his top 3 best albums.

Looks like Jeff is just on an intro not an actual track the other person featured is a stand up comedian. Well the moment is finally here… 20 years for a new album is wild we were all young when Lost & Found came out. I’m looking forward to hearing the whole thing together instead of singles.

Based on a True Story Tracklist: Int. Barbershop Day ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff & Simone You Lookin’ for Me? The Reverend (Rave Sermon) Rave in the Wasteland Bulletproof ft. Jac Ross Hard Times (Smile) ft. Teyana Taylor Beautiful Scars ft. Big Sean and OBanga Tantrum ft. Joyner Lucas First Love ft. India Martinez and Marcin Make It Look Easy The Reverend (YCMI Sermon) You Can Make it ft. Fridayy and Sunday Service Work of Art ft. Russ and Jaden The Reverend (WOA Sermon)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFLPpTrRpAJ/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== dope that he’s working with other established artists like this.

''Bulletproof'' is probably my favourite of the new songs so far.

Will Smith Says “Creative” Partnership With Alfonso Ribeiro “Totally Transformed My Life”: “Nobody Commits as Hard” https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/will-smith-partnership-alfonso-ribeiro-transformed-life-1236077761/

Such a dope song love the whole vibe of it. I don't have any clue on who Russ is but his verse was fire and having Jaden on the hook just gave it a modern sound to go along with the beat. I've been watching alot of reaction vids to the song and video people are loving Will's back rappng again. and giving him his flowers as an mc.

Ya I really like the concept and execution, and like the interviews, and especially showing off the live performance, but my favourite part of the song is the beat change for Will’s second verse, and with the interviews breaking up the song you kind of lose that a bit. I’m not complaining though, I wasn’t even expecting a video for this song so I’m stoked.

I agree. Would've preferred those bits at the end of the video, not in the middle of the song. Nonetheless, love it! Great music video. Suits the song perfectly. Keep them coming, Will!

Love all the shots of the paparazzi trying to get a piece of Will! Love the dancing in the video! Just a brilliant concept and execution

Man this video is insane! Really dope stuff! Let’s hope it blows up, but even if it doesn’t the real hip hop heads and Will fans are blessed with this!

Yes, I'm all for a classic remix. Don't involve the new talent. Legends only.

when I scan this QR code from the La Velada performance it let’s you pre-add the album.

Looks like the they have edited the article, but I promise you that it did say that originally