Is Will Smith an important rapper? The kind that deserves the awards, the honors, the accolades that the music industry foists upon him? Well, no. The words corny and safe might be applicable when describing the artist for... more »merly known as the Fresh Prince. But dig this: corny and safe as he may be, why can't you stop singing "Getting Jiggy wit It" or why does your child love "Just the Two of Us," Smith's shameless ode to dads and their kids? Probably because Smith is nothing if not sincere. Yes, the tracks are obvious and leaden, and, no, Method Man won't have any sleepless nights when Smith lets loose with a rhyme. But give him this: Smith comes from the culture, even if he long ago left the streets. --Amy Linden« less
Is Will Smith an important rapper? The kind that deserves the awards, the honors, the accolades that the music industry foists upon him? Well, no. The words corny and safe might be applicable when describing the artist formerly known as the Fresh Prince. But dig this: corny and safe as he may be, why can't you stop singing "Getting Jiggy wit It" or why does your child love "Just the Two of Us," Smith's shameless ode to dads and their kids? Probably because Smith is nothing if not sincere. Yes, the tracks are obvious and leaden, and, no, Method Man won't have any sleepless nights when Smith lets loose with a rhyme. But give him this: Smith comes from the culture, even if he long ago left the streets. --Amy Linden
Angela N. (arnichols) from CENTRE, AL Reviewed on 12/26/2007...
Men in black music
Sabrinia P. (DreamADreamWithU) from LINDEN, VA Reviewed on 3/7/2007...
Makes me remember fun summers, a great cd for all ages - I love it!
John L. (Yaz) from WILMINGTON, NC Reviewed on 2/1/2007...
Great Will Smith debut.
Demanda W. (demanda) from HORNBEAK, TN Reviewed on 8/19/2006...
Great CD to help you get jiggy wit it.
Samantha "Trixie" O. (VictorianSweetheart) from FRANKLINVILLE, NC Reviewed on 7/20/2006...
I liked a couple of songs from this cd, but it's not really my style.
CD Reviews
Finally, A Rap Album For Kids
yankssd | 06/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album was great. It has a lot of Will Smith's hits. Plus it's an album for kids. Most kids aren't allowed to listen to music with swears so this is great. It's rap with absolutely no swears. Almost every other rap artist has music with so many swears they might as well paint themseles white and say they're Kid Rock. This one was different. Every song is upbeat and with no swears at all. My favorites are every song. Though many people I know may diss Will Smith for having corny lyrics and no swears I like this guy. If a man does not want to swear then he does not want to! This is still a good album, swears or not. Now go cop it instead of some DMX or Juvenile cd that has more swears then a Chris Rock cd. Trust me, you'll like this. And it's child friendly. Wow! Now stop reading and go buy this cd. You won't regret it. Trust me!"
Listen to rap music "big Willie style."
Eric Smith | Pittsburgh, PA | 11/19/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It is no doubt the Artist formerly known as Fresh Prince has achied major success in the last couple of years, both in music and movies. Many people, like myself didn't know he was actually a rapper already before the hit show "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" which will be a classic. He was one of the first pioneers of rap in the 80's and had a big hit called "Parents Just Dont Understand." His work was produced by his co-parter DJ Jazzy Jeff. Almost a decade later, "Big Willie Style" marks his triumphant return to the world of Hip Hop and suprisingly Pop. Due to the "hardcore"lessness of this album Will has been accused by some Hip Hop listners as not "real rap" when in fact he was one of the first. Yes he doesnt swear and wouldn't be called the stereotypical "hardcore" rappers you'll find, such as DMX. Does that mean he's a *bad* rapper? Of course not! This album was multi-platnum for a reason. No one can resist till this day gettin up to the dance floor when the clubs play the now old-school "Gettin Jiggy Wit it." I found myself chanting "na na na na na na" again and again everytime I hear it. The first number "Ya'll Know" is classic Hip Hop at it's best. Keyboard chords along with light scatting and Will's raps are great. Fans of Mariah Carey's mild hit "Loverboy" will enjoy "Candy" which features the same song by old-school group Cameo. I love the song "Chasing Forever" featuring the group Jagged Edge, who make this song have more of a beautiful Gospel feel to it. The hit "Miami" will get anyone up and dancing with it's retro sound and extremely catchy chorus. My mom and I love the song "Just The Two of Us" because it has such a meaningful message to fathers and sons or in my case mothers and sons. I can tell by this song that Will m ust be a very good father and a good person in general. Last but not leased is of course the mega hit based on the movie by the same title called "Men in Black." A great mixture of Pop, R&B and Rap, it was a hit for a reason. Overall, don't let street hardcore rap fans deter you from checking out this multi-platnum album. It's worth the money and like me you will end up having it in your CD player often."
Will's got it going on!
Sara | Planet Princess | 11/26/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I was a little diappointed with Will's C.D. (Big Willie Style). There were 4 really good songs on the C.D. (Gettin Jiggy Wit It, Just the Two of Us, Men in Black, and Miami) but the rest of the songs were featuring other artists that (no offense) ruined the songs. Still, the overall C.D. was awesome! I love Will Smith to death and I will be looking to buy his C.D. soon! Luv ya'll! :)"
Willie
Mikeisha Best | Mitchellville, Maryland United States | 10/04/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It matters not what negative is said about this man. He has been called a punk, a sellout, popcorn rapper, Uncle Tom, etc. But, anyone and everyone who ever called Will Smith out of his name tuned in to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" every Monday night, I know they did. They probably saw a couple of his movies and listen to his music, too. This guy is very talented. I can't think of a male entertainer more talented that him, now that I think about it. "Big Willie Style" is no exception. This is a nice CD. Its also proof of how incredibly talented he is. He doesn't have to curse and degrade women in order to create a good rap album. I know of no one who can do that, and neither do you. He definitely some of the best word play in the rap game, this album is a prime example of his best work. I love his word play. This album is very happy and upbeat. The Keith B-Real interludes are really funny. Jamie Foxx plays as Keith B-Real.
"Getting' Jiggy Wit It" and "Miami" were released from this album, but they are not the best on this album. In fact, they can easily get skipping because the production is right annoying. "Men in Black" and "Just the Two of Us" were also released. These are definitely better songs than the ones mentioned previously. "Just the Two of Us" is dedicated to Will's son, Trey. It is definitely one of the best dedications I've ever heard. He pours his heart out to his son. Will lets the world know Jada is his. In one of his songs he says, "To all ya'll rappers, when ya'll saying your rhymes, please stop saying Jada, cuz that names mine". Haha, that's so cute. "Candy" and "Chasing Forever" are some of the best songs on the album. Pay close attention to Will's wordplay on these two songs. "I Loved You" and "Don't Say Nothin" are borderline fillers. They are OK tracks, but they do not help make the album.
Overall, Willie does a good job. He loooves to BRAG about himself, but somehow, he doesn't annoy me like most people who do that. I enjoy this album, but it's definitely not a 5 star album. The reason I gave it 3 is because the good songs are REAL good and gives the album a nice balance,