Will Smith has done more than enough to establish "legend" status in the rap game, from winning Grammys to selling millions upon millions of albums, to delivering wholesome, family-friendly Movie Bangers with strangely universal appeal. Yet his bar-spitting days have long been left in the past, a relic of a bygone era; these days, Smith is more likely to lead a cinematic franchise or engage in a death-defying stunt on Instagram Live. Yet somehow, Logic brought Big Will out of retirement for his new album Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, on the track "Don't Be Afraid To Be Different."
Taking to a vintage, Fresh-Prince-esque instrumental, Will sets it off with an old-school verse. Immediately rope-a-doping fans into thinking their about to hear a revised take on his iconic theme-song, Will actually comes close to dropping a F-bomb for the first time in his recorded musical career. "Came in the game on my neon fresh, won the first rap Grammy so I guess I'm blessed," he boasts, keeping a decidedly vintage flow and cadence throughout. Yet don't get it twisted, his tech game remains on point. "Everybody followin' the trends I set, 60 million sold, doin' it different, and my IG poppin' from doing it different," he raps, establishing himself as a digital age pioneer.
While it might feel like the idea of a Smith verse in 2019 eclipses the verse itself, it's never a bad thing to hear Big Willie dust off the mic and remind newcomers how he got his start. If you don't know, now you know. Did Will's contribution make for a Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind highlight?
