DJ Khaled seems to be everywhere these days following the release of his star-studded Father of Asahd album. This time, however, the famed producer assists Will Smith on "Friend Like Me," a track that is featured on the Aladdin soundtrack. In the new film that hits theaters this Friday, Smith reinvents Robin Williams' iconic Disney role as the Genie. In true form, Smith will perform the animated film's iconic hit "Friend Like Me," but he remixes it with hip hop twist for the soundtrack, Fresh Prince style...or as he put it, "Geniestyle."
“I went into the studio the first day and I really wanted to play with it to see if I could add something to it,” Smith explains in a press release. “Literally 30 minutes in the studio, and started to play with the song [and] the 94/96 BPM range. That BPM range is right old school hip hop. So I grabbed The Honey Drippers ‘Impeach Your President’ and I had them throw that breakbeat under there. I messed around with that. And I messed around with Erik B. & Rakim’s ‘I Know You Got Soul’ under ‘Friend Like Me.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’m home!’ I started playing with the hip hop flavor, and the Genie was really born in my mind from the music.” We'd like to think Robin Williams would approve.
Quotable Lyrics
You can wish to be rich
You can wish to be tall
You can wish away the haters, you just gimme a call
Wish for what you want 'cause I'm grantin' them all