Will Smith: Born To Reign

A driven American original, Will Smith has made a remarkable leap from teenage rap goofball to international multimedia superstar and Academy Award nominee. His rise may be compelling, but his music seldom is. Like Ice Cube and other rappers-turned-one-man-brands, Smith seems to have decided that rap is an afterthought, something to occupy his free time between movie shoots and press appearances. Nowhere is this more glaring than in the theme songs he puts out to promote both his latest cinematic endeavors and his own status as a squeaky-clean, cross-marketable superstar. Smith's movie songs are never inspired, but they've seldom reeked of unintentional self-parody as much as "Nod Ya Head (Black Suits Comin')," an asinine bit of pop-rap that gives listeners the lowdown on the plot of his latest blockbuster. (Apparently aliens are involved.) Pop-rap at its most mercenary, the song sounds suspiciously like a fast-food jingle stretched to single length. To add insult to injury, Smith's new Born To Reign features two versions of "Nod Ya Head"—the original and a remix—and, needless to say, that's two versions too many. Padding out the album's remainder is a forgettable blend of inane dance-rap, would-be party anthems, and silky-smooth joints for the ladies. Born To Reign has a smattering of charming moments: "Maybe" is a sweet love song, while "Block Party" recaptures some of the airy appeal of "Summertime." But while Smith might rap about his flashy lifestyle and kicking it with "Denzel" and "Russ Crowe," Born To Reign offers as intimate and colorful a peek into the mind of Will Smith as a Men In Black II press release. Smith is nowhere to be found on ex-partner DJ Jazzy Jeff's The Magnificent, the DJ's first solo album and the fifth installment of BBE's terrific, producer-oriented "Beat Generation" series. Instead, the disc features a smattering of indie hip-hop heavyweights (J-Live, Freddie Foxxx), smooth R&B singers (Eric Roberson, Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman), and promising newcomers (Pauly Yamz, Baby Blak). The Magnificent would be worth owning just for J-Live's "Break It Down," in which the rapper shows off in the flashiest manner imaginable, toying with both the ever-shifting beat and his audience. Meta-rapping for the Mensa set, "Break It Down" finds J-Live serving as his own Greek chorus, chastising himself for going over his audience's head, vowing to "make Dr. Dre sound like Dr. Seuss," and kicking old-school braggadocio. P-Smoova's beat matches J-Live's flight of fancy, alternately suggesting Prince Paul, The X-Ecutioners, and, appropriately enough, Dr. Dre. Industry Shakedown artist Foxxx goes back on the warpath on "Scram," while newcomers Blak and Yamz make a striking impression on several tracks, most notably on "For Da Love Of Da Game." Fifteen years after He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper introduced a generation of suburban kids to the joys of hip-hop, DJ Jazzy Jeff still makes music that matters, which can't be said of his former partner.