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I really agree with Def. Yes he’s having fun and doing his thing which I can respect, but it’s very forced. Listen to the new albums by LL, KRS, and the multiple recent albums by Nas. They adapted but still kept that old school vibe that makes them genuine. Will isn’t really doing that. I don’t know how else to word it. He’s not reading the room at all. one thing I always wanted to see Will do is come back and embrace hip hop. Work with some bigger producers. Spit real raps. Tap into his fresh prince side. But in reality he’s too busy trying to catch lightning in a bottle with a quick hit on some average beats. This isn’t what we wanted. I was listening to big Willie style the other day and it’s crazy how much more of an emcee he sounds like compared to today. Yes he was younger but that’s no excuse. Others can do it. No reason he can’t.

Will Smith being interviewed on the Big Time Podcast in Saudi Arabia. I don't believe this interview has been posted anywhere on this site.

Thanks for sharing! Yeah, I think this is the first time he has done 'Light Em Up' live. And I really enjoyed that old school hip hop section as well.

so far this is the largest chunk I’ve found of the show. Not great footage but it is what it is. Really impressed with what I’ve seen so far. The “old school hip hop” section was unreal. Think this is the first time he’s performed “light em up”. shocked to see “get lit” make a return lol.

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.

Not sure what’s going on with new people joining and leaving negative comments but I guess that’s the internet these days. It definitely has mixed reviews, a lot of hate but lots of comments enjoying it too. Nearly half million views on YouTube in 3 days. Ive honestly been playing the song none stop all weekend. I don’t want it to appear that I have bad taste in music here haha, but there’s something about it that’s so enjoyable to me. It’s a shame that I feel like I’m enjoying it by myself. It’s like stoichennium said, he’s not gonna be doing this in 10 years. In fact I never thought I’d see him do this in 2025. Embrace it. He’s not gonna make another BWS at his age. But we’ve got a tour and 3 albums. Your hip hop stuff is coming. That anxiety rhyme will be on the album.