When you hear “Jaden Smith” you probably think of a Karate Kid reboot or how he is Will Smith’s son. Smith, 19, just released his debut album SYRE — and it’ll have a lot of people turning into Jaden fans. Though Jaden is on the cusp of entering adulthood, Syre will put his career years ahead of many of his peers.
“B,” “L,” “U” and “E”, the first four tracks on the album — best referred to as a suite for the sake of condensity — starts with the winding of what sounds like a music box. With vocals from sister Willow Smith to start off “B,” it’s a slow burner. The suite as a whole feels like a ten-minute song despite being four separate tracks. By the middle of “L,” it’s easy to lose interest, but the hard-hitting “U” eases into “E,” which ends the suite nicely. Despite the longevity and constant changing of pace, it’s all right.
Lyrically, the album is weak. It essentially sounds like a bunch of Jaden’s tweets strung together. That’s not to say they aren’t some solid bars. Take this sample from “Icon”: “Uh, damn—last girl signed the divorce, so what?/Now I'm focused and we 'bout to all blow up.” He’s likely referencing his 2015 breakup with Sarah Snyder, but he doesn’t care, because he’s been able to put all his focus and energy into his brand MSFTS. Still, there’s a lot of lame bars, but Jaden’s flow makes it catchy and likable.
Even though the lyrics aren’t the best, SYRE is a top five album in 2017 in regards of production, which is most evident in “Falcon.” The song makes listeners feel like they are being chased down by the cops in some high-speed pursuit. They’re in some sick ride that only would exist if Vin Diesel was behind the wheel. The constant beat changes to acoustic guitar make it one of the more hyped tracks of the year. With the hook done by Raury, the entire track is, for a lack of better words, perfection from start to end. The slow fadeout with what sounds like a radio update is what seals this song as a perfect banger.
Anyway, Jaden went from being a kid who has a weird Twitter account with various movie cameos to an up-and-coming rapper. Be on the lookout because Jaden is going to make sure you know him and MSFTS. Just remember that Jaden is a weird dude, so weird stuff is for sure going to happen along the way.
Rating: 4/5
