If You Were A Music Critic...

[TopDawg14]

If you were a music critic writing for a mag or newspaper, what kind of review would you give Lost & Found? Here's how I would write it:

It's been 3 years since Will Smith had his mark on the music scene. 2002's Born To Reign was quite possibly the most slept-on album of that year. The album was poorly promoted by Columbia Records who ended their relationship with the Grammy-winning rapper later that year.

No matter to Big Will, though. He's back and as he puts it, "he's got his swagga back." Lost & Found is the type of album that will surprise most people since they equate Will Smith with such hits as "Getting Jiggy Wit It", "Miami", "Just The Two Of Us" and "Parents Just Don't Understand". They have always considered Mr. Smith to be "pop" but don't get it twisted, Will is definitely hip-hop.

You'll get all "tingly" when you hear his long-time friend & partner DJ Jazzy Jeff's scratches on "Here He Comes." Jeff does a clever job of taking the theme from the popular cartoon, Spiderman. "Party Starter" is a certified beat-banger with Ludacris helping out on the hook while Snoop Dogg lends his ever-so-smooth voice to the smoothed-out style of "Pump Ya Brakes."

The heavily anticipated "Mr. Nice Guy" has Will using his wit to take tongue-in-cheek shots at Eminem, conservative talk-show host Larry Elder & radio big-mouth Wendy Williams. "Ms. Holy Roller" may be the most controversial track on the album with Will taking shots at religious fanatics who seem to hate instead of love.

"Lost & Found", the title track, finds Will admonishing not only wack rappers but the entire rap industry. "Tell Me Why" and "Loretta" are two of the most hauntingly important hip-hop in recent memory.

"Wave Em Off" has a hard, rock beat which serves well over Smith's vocals.

If there are any missteps, perhaps it's "If You Can't Dance" and possibly the R&B remix of Will's hit single, "Switch".

Whether you think Will is soft or not, there's no denying that Will's hunger is apparent on this album. You'll find yourself listening to this album again & again.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Janemba]

Not bad but I heard a sample of the remix of Switch and it isn't that bad but it's pretty good.

[Lerkot]

Yeah thats pretty fine, If I would have wrote it I might would have typed DJ JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE all over it...

[bigted]

Here's mine:

Will Smith is back on the hip-hop scene once again releasing his new album "Lost and Found" with determination to prove that he deserves the respect he's been denied by some critics and fans who've considered him a "soft pop rapper" from dance floor smashes such as "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", "Men In Black", "Miami", "Will 2K, and "Black Suits Comin'" that were released by Columbia Records plus doing blockbuster hit films such as the sequels to "Men In Black"/ "Bad Boys" plus his recent film "Hitch" to name a few, but don't know about the aggressive and witty hip-hop edge that he has had since he came on the scene in 1986 with his parter DJ Jazzy Jeff releasing "Girls Ain't Nothin' But Trouble" which resembled the classic storytellin' sense that he's well known for and also sampled the "I Dream Of Genie" theme, and the intro "Here He Comes" samples the "Spiderman" theme and was produced by who other than Jazzy Jeff, where Will used witty rhymes with an aggressive flow to get you excited about the album(also describes the fan's perception of him on that intro:"shock by the film & the TV money/went from scenes with Uncle Phil to scenes with Sonny/ so hard to break free from a guaranteed 20/ but its done, so come see the MC, honey!") and as you listen to this album you see that the energy never really lets down as you go to listen each track,the next two tracks "Party Starter" and "Switch" are classic Will Smith party tracks with more of an aggressive hip-hop edge than previous club anthems which are produced by Kwame and Ludacris instead of The Trackmasters, "Mr. Nice Guy" is a witty/humorous track attacking Eminem, Wendy Williams, and Larry Elder in a tasteful way like hip-hop battle tracks used to be like when Will came on the scene, "Ms. Holy Roller" is a serious track criticizing a woman he knew that'd sleep around and ignore Jesus, "Lost and Found" breaks down the entire hip-hop industry that has remained uncreative for the most part, "Tell Me Why" with Mary J. Blidge is one of the deepest tracks you'll ever hear where he talks about how he doesn't know how to tell his son about all the troubles going on in the world especially since 9/11(My son said, “Daddy were there people in that building?”

A cold sweat/ frozen with a lump in my chest/ I heard his question/ couldn’t bring my lips to say “Yes” to him) "I Wish I Made That" is a hip-hop fantasy record that a fan would make listening to their favorite songs and wishing they made that and at the same time debates how he should have more due for what's he's done(I wish I would of made that/Lean back/I wish I would of made that/I wish I woulda told the girls to ‘drop it like it hot’/Summer, Summer, Summertime Seem like all I got), "Swagga" continues on the energy of "I Wish I Made That" with more clever rhymes, "Pump Ya Brakes" is a nice feel good track with Snoop Dogg where they break down how guys should respect women, "If You Can't Dance"(Slide) with Nicole S. of The Pussycat Dolls is another humorous track where he makes jokes about people that can't dance, "Could U Love Me" is a track where he asks his girl if she'd still be there for him if he wasn't famous, "Loretta" is based on a true story about a woman that stalked him around and wrote him love letters, "Wave Em Off" is a track where he tells the critics that they don't faze him, "Scary Story" is a retrospective to his early days of rapping as an adolescence, and the album finishes off with the smooth remix by Robin Thicke to slow down the party and a dancehall version of "Switch" that'd get the crowd excited again, even the bonus tracks "Comin' To The Stage" and "We Won't" have Will bringin' the heat, needless to say if I spent this time making this review this album is the most worthy album to listen to in hip-hop in a long time, I listen to all kinds of hip-hop but I haven't heard an album as strong as this one in recent memory.

Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

[E - Style-Greesy - E]

I'd do a very shot one:

BEST ALBUM EVA!!!

:thumb:

Haha, nah man I don't know what I'd write, I'd just write that it's very perfect and for sure one of his best solo albums and all that... :sonny: