Review Summary: "Gettin' jiggy wit it...... DA DA DA DA BAH DA BAH"
The 1990's sure had many celebrities throwing their hand at music. If it wasn't future actor Mark Wahlberg being a rapper under the moniker of Marky Mark, it was comedian legend Eddie Murphy collaborating with the King of Pop for undoubtedly one of the worst music videos of all time with "Whatzupwitu". You even had athletes like future NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal throwing out four hip-hop albums, or future NBA legend and Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd even putting out a track as well. Before any of these guys ever touched the microphone, there was only one man in the music business who was essentially the pioneer for getting all these celebs to create music. His name was Will Smith, who under the famous moniker "The Fresh Prince" collaborated with his longtime friend Jeffrey Townes (aka "DJ Jazzy Jeff) to release five hip-hop albums in the '80s through the early '90s. They eventually parted, but Smith kept going by releasing his debut album "Big Willie Style" in 1997, four years after his last album with DJ Jazzy Jeff. This comeback debut record undoubtedly represents Will Smith's peak of his MCing skills and with groovy, undeniably fun sounds it definitely lived up to the hype.
Unlike many celebrities like Mark Wahlberg and Shaquille O'Neal, whose rapping skills weren't as polished, Will Smith never had to deal with the issue. Being in the hip-hop game for over 15 years at the time of his release helps, Smith had tons of time to perfect his rapping technique and ability which shows immediately in the record. The critic-dissing track "Don't Say Nothin'" showcases that, with on-target timing and fantastic versatility along with the track avoiding the pop-rap trend that Smith directs his entire debut record towards. It's funny, considering Smith basically confesses in the track that he tends to be a little bit too "poppy" but he rarely changed that musical style of his in this debut. As Smith as always done in his material, like many celebrities who tried their hand in music in the '90s, he always prided himself on rapping without cussing or anything explicit. Unlike guys like Marky Mark who struggled to rap in this particular fashion, Smith excelled which in of itself is a big plus.
"Big Willie Style" aside from "Don't Say Nothin'" contains a bunch of pop-rap tracks that are fun and enjoyable to listen to, a good amount of them becoming smash hits. The party anthem hit "Miami" is definitely a highlight, with a groovy summer-type kind of vibe infused into the track along with a slick hook talking about going into the city of Miami. Will Smith shines again, with his excellent delivery and flow that is on-point with the rhythmic sound of the track. The summer anthem "Summertime" was re-released in the debut, a track that him and his partner DJ Jazzy Jeff did back in 1992. With another summer-type kind of sound infused into the track, Will Smith keeps going at it with smooth rhymes and lyrics about summer in his home of Philadelphia. Will Smith even does a romantic kind of song with "Just The Two Of Us", even having his son Jaden collaborate with him a little bit which is pretty cool. The top highlight of the record is another party anthem with "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", where Smith's MCing skills are at its finest with awesome lines about how haters are jealous of him with his courtside seats at Lakers games and so forth. The infectious hook is undoubtedly the most memorable part of the track, with Smith letting the kids do their "BAD DA DA DA DAH!" which fits in with the glossyness of the track.
"Big Willie Style" is definitely the comeback record fans of The Fresh Prince have been waiting for since the disbandment of the group with DJ Jazzy Jeff in 1993. The groovy and summer-infused vibes of the record that mostly occupy the record fits in with the MCing skills of Will Smith, which sees him at his peak with an excellent rap delivery and smooth flow along with throwing pretty damn good rhymes. While the glossy-coated sounds of the record fit in well, it would've been nice to see him experiment more with the hip-hop sounds like what he did with "Don't Say Nothin'" to show off his variety and ability to rap on essentially any rhythmic beat. Fans of Will Smith certainly should get this record, as this is his easily his best set of material in his solo career. He was able to bring a debut record that absolutely destroyed the ones of celebrity-turned-music artists like Shaq and Murphy, which is why "Big Willie Style" is definitely one to listen to.
