Review Summary: "Here it comes the party of a lifetime....."
At the end of the 1990's, the numerous celebrities who did music projects were all out of the business. Eddie Murphy decided to hang up his cleats in '93 after the massive commercial failure that was "Love's Alright", which boasts probably one of the worst album covers in music history. Mark Wahlberg retired in '98 after his final album with late reggae singer Prince Ital Joe 4 years earlier, and to the day refuses to ever recognize the fact he was Marky Mark at the beginning of the decade. Unlike Murphy, that album was a massive international success but that never translated into the US which got no release. NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was done after '98 as well, with his fourth record "Respect" becoming a commercial failure like Murphy which resulted in his retirement. The only celebrity in the music business, and really the only one who garnered tons of success, was actor Will Smith who after a multiplatinum debut with "Big Willie Style" in '97 was working on his sophomore record. Two years later, at the end of the 20th century in '99 Smith released "Willnennium" which was an ode to the evercoming 21st century. Drowning in mostly silly, lighthearted sounds with a nice touch of glossyness, Smith's second release saw more improvements in his rap delivery and beats. Unfortunately, Smith's lyrical content in some of the tracks degrade the sophomore release with unintentionally hilarious hooks and cheesy lines.
Will Smith was already a great MC, with his debut showcasing his excellent rap delivery and smooth flow. His ability to rap and flow with the beat nicely was one no celebrity artist could ever duplicate, which was thanks to the fact he started out rapping before acting and being in the game 16 years. How could you possibly improve on your technique when it's already good to begin with? Somehow in "Willnennium" Smith does, with slight but easily noticeable improvements which definitely furthered his place in the hip-hop community. The beats were tighter as well, which is thanks to his fellow friend and former partner Jeffrey Townes (aka DJ Jazzy Jeff) who collaborates once again with Smith. That collaboration helps the record mightily, with standout tracks like "So Fresh" which see Smith also collaborate with fellow rappers Biz Markle and legend Slick Rick. The old-school jam along with the nice touches by Biz and Slick is definitely one of the top tracks in the album, also showcasing Smith's rap ability which is smooth and tight. It definitely helps to have a top-notch group of guests in the album, with the old guys with Slick Rick and Biz along with the new ones at the time with Lil' Kim and Eve. Unfortunately not many of the tracks on this record were hits like the ones that occupied Smith's debut, but the majority of them definitely sounded like they could've been.
"Willnennium" contains a bunch of pop-rap tracks just like his debut, along with some slow ones too. The new-year anthem "Will2K" is a prime example, with a collaboration with K-Ci which fits with the party jam that's built on a sample of the Clash's "Rock The Cabash" along with good-natured lyrics and lines that'll appeal to any audience, which with Smith's non-cussing rap style was trying to glorify. Smith never stops bringing the party jams in this record, with othepr standouts with "Pump It Up" which sees another collaboration with DJ Jazzy Jeff. He was able to bring out the funk in this scratch-filled track, which was pretty awesome and along with Smith's rapping fits in quite nicely. Smith's lyrical skills weren't as great in some cases in the record, which is degrading with songs like "Freakin' It" with weird and hilarious lines like "I read in Rap Pages they referred to me as soft/Yeah, more like Microsoft" which come out as lame and terribly catchy. Another poor lyrical showing appears in "Uuhhh" with unintentionally hilarious lines like "Plan down pat like Sajak/Wheel Of Fortune away/Price ain't right/I don't play!" which is reminiscent of equally as bad lyrics from Shaquille O'Neal with his debut "Shaq Diesel". Other corny tracks like "No More" and "Da Butta" feature ridiculously funny hooks which Smith probably intended due to the fun theme the sophomore record straddles on, regardless of that it just doesn't fit with Smith at all.
"Willnennium" beat "Big Willie Style" in plenty of areas, with obvious improvements of Will Smith's rap technique and versatility along with tighter, party-like jiggy tracks which continues to showcase the incredible musical ability of the actor. Unfortunately the sophomore album falls short on lyrical content, with terrible lyrics and rhymes on tracks like "Freakin' It" and terribly comedic and childish hooks like "Da Butta" which would sadly plague Smith a little bit later in his solo music career. Those lyrical issues were minor though, as the record wasn't entirely plagued by the flaw which gives Smith another solid record. He was able to deliver a sophomore record that no celebrity-turned-artist was able to throw to the masses, one that was both refreshing and fun to listen to. Add that with the good-natured boasting and fun themes Smith was able to put out, and you got a record that for sure helped people cruised onto the 21st Century.
