Will Smith Big Willie Style CD

Personnel: Will Smith, Larry Blackmon, Cameo, Fuzzy, Ryan Toby, Valvin Roane, Tia Mintze, Left Eye, Camp Lo (vocals); Sauce (various instruments); David Foreman (guitar); Timothy "Tyme" Riley, Keith Winfield (keyboards); Lanar "Kern" Brantley (bass); Poke And Tone, Rob Chiarelli, L.E.S. (drum programming); DJ Jazzy Jeff (scratches); Kenny Greene, Trey Lorenz, Tricia Covington, Coko (background vocals).
Producers include: Poke And Tone, Andreo Heard, L.E.S., Jeff Townes, Keith Pelzer.
Engineers: Ken Ifill, Poke And Tone, Keith Pelzer, Jeff Townes.
"Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" won the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Personnel: Tia Mintze, Valvin Roane, Ryan Toby (vocals); Dave Foreman (guitar); Keith Winfield, Timothy Christian Riley (keyboards); Lanar Brantley (bass guitar); L.E.S., Poke, Rob Chiarelli, Tone (drum programming); DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (scratches); Coko, Fuzzy, Kenny Greene, Trey Lorenz, Trisha Covington (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Commissioner Gordon; Richard Travali; Rob Chiarelli; Tony Maserati.
Recording information: Hacienda, Los Angeles, CA; Hit Factory, New York, NY; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; Touch Of Jazz Studios, Phila.
Will Smith wisely decided not to change his style too much on Big Willie Style, the first record he released since becoming a major movie star with appearances in Independence Day and Men in Black. Instead of trying to toughen his image, Smith continued with the friendly, humorous pop-rap that has been his trademark since He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. Of course, he gives the music a glossy modern sheen (ironically based on early-'80s funk) in order to prove that he's still hip -- and it works. Sure, there's filler scattered all the way the through the album, but the best moments -- the disco-thumping "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," the Larry Blackmon duet "Candy," the ballad "I Loved You," and the riotous "Men in Black" -- rank among his best singles. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
High points in this smoothly produced debut solo effort from the rapper formerly known as Fresh Prince include his occasional moments of tenderness, especially "Just the Two of Us," on which Smith addresses his young son against a sample of Bill Withers's song of the same name: "From the first time the doctor placed you in my arms/I knew I'd meet death 'fore I let you meet harm." Smith reveals another hint of vulnerability on "Forever," when he describes his girlfriend: "She...makes me feel that forever is a possibility."
What distinguishes BIG WILLIE STYLE, though, are the same playful mood and nimble rhymes that characterized Smith's DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince days. He describes his modus operandi on the lyrically dexterous "Yes, Yes Y'all:" "I rip rhymes for the flow of it/you know the show of it/not the Benz 600 four-door of it/I'm-a rhyme regardless of earnin' long as my heart keeps yearnin'/I got's to keep burnin'."Rolling Stone (12/11/97, p.76) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...crackles with the lucid energy of early-'80s rap hits....he displays the confident craft of a screenwriter and the unthreatened bounce of a guy with little to prove....an exceptional megacelebrity album."
Q (10/01, p.151) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Packed with impossibly summery hits...this film star really can rap."
Vibe (2/98, p.122) - "...The saving grace of the former Fresh Prince is that, as an MC, he's never taken himself too seriously....BIG WILLIE STYLE's wisecracking, fun-filled material is expected--and fun to digest..."
The Source (12/97, p.180) - "...BIG WILLIE STYLE isn't high on INDEPENDENCE DAY caliber stunts--it's what you'd expect from a rapper who also happens to be one of the most popular actors in the world..."