Of all the landlords of the DopeHouse, I’m probably the most excited to see Will Smith return to music. Yes, I’m fully aware that his brand of “family-friendly” rap isn’t what the masses refer to as “lit,” but it instead gives a sense of nostalgia that, in my rapidly advancing age and rapidly dwindling sanity, am appreciative of. At this point the Fresh Prince doesn’t need to do music anymore; his son Jaden and daughter Willow do more than enough for him. So seeing him do it truly for the love is refreshing… even if the music isn’t the strongest stuff on the shelf.
After spending the last ten years focusing solely on Hollywood, Smith returned to his musical roots as a guest on Latin Grammy nominees Bomba Estéreo on the remix to their current single “Fiesta.” The single has now gotten the visual treatment, marking the first music video Will has done in over a decade. A high-energy, colorful affair, Will is front and center in front of a psychedelic cumbia… wait, did Will just curse in the song too? I’ve been trying to figure out if he actually has since I first heard the song. Either way, Will seems to be fully enjoying himself these days, and that is something that I feel is always needed and welcomed in hip hop.
