Bow Wow vs. Will Smith

I know Will Smith probably doesn't even care, but I do.
Bow Wow was recently interviewed by XXL and he made the following comments (emphasis mine):

”But to me, honestly Will wasn’t like a real rapper.”

”He was more like a gimmick. Then he zapped in to get a TV show, and it was on and poppin’. Then after that he was in Hollywood. So things came easy for him. With me, I’m a rapper. I ain’t with the whole colorful cornball type things. That’s just not my style.”

”Will [Smith] can act, but he does more of those blockbuster Hollywood movies, which I wanna do. But also I wanna do it like Denzel-movies that really mean something. I feel like I can definitely be better than him.”

Someone out there might read this and wonder what I'm so upset about. It's true, they might say. Will Smith did a lot of corny shit in his rap career, they might say. And he did. It's true. It's not like "Parents Just Don't Understand" or "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" are serious hip-hop fodder. No one's riding to "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" or "Boom! Shake The Room."

My thing is, who the hell is Bow Wow to say anything about Will Smith? This boy was literally shitting his diapers when Will Smith came out. Back in 1987, it was a different hip-hop world. When Will Smith came out (as the Fresh Prince), rappers weren't afraid to smile and dance and have fun. Rappers weren't so image conscious and everyone wasn't a fake gangster. Everyone was colorful back then...or am I the only one who remembers Cross Colours? It was okay to be silly back then. That's why you had acts like Kid N Play or Biz Markie or Kwame or DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Every one of them is considered corny now, but back then...it was just different.

To say that Will Smith wasn't a real rapper is a slap in the face. Wasn't he the first rapper to receive a Grammy? Didn't he pave the road that so many rappers commonly drive their Bentleys down today? How many other rappers have had such a successful television show? How many other rappers have had such a successful movie career? Let's recap...first rapper to win a Grammy (and I don't think they even had a hip-hop category back then), first rapper to have a successful television show (if I remember correctly), executive producer credit on said show, first rapper to have a successful movie career (because the Fat Boys aren't still getting royalty checks for "Disorderlies.") It can be argued that Kid N Play did it first, but the minute Kid N Play tried to play characters not named Kid N Play, their film career was over (see "Class Act").

Will Smith also gets paid $20 million dollars a picture and has had very few busts at the box office. And really, it was just Wild, Wild, West. Will Smith has continued to reinvent himself time and time again, to keep up with modern day trends, and i know this because more than a few people liked that song "Miami" he did and yes, some of them were black. "Switch" and "Will 2K" were hits and even "Wild, Wild, West" got heavy rotation when it was out (and personally, I like that song). He's one of the few rappers from the late 80s who is still relevant now. It's Will Smith and LL Cool J. And LL's career finally ended right after "Luv U Better" stopped getting airplay (and even LL used to make silly songs back then...or am I the only one who remembers "Milky Cereal" and "Big Ol' Butt?")

And I don't care what anyone says, the ultimate summer anthem is STILL "Summertime."
And for those who get on Will Smith for his subject matter, let me say this...Will Smith is one of a small group of rappers who can rap about having money, because he really has money. Not made up money. Not money that still has to be paid back to the record company. And he doesn't feel the need to wear "bling," because like REAL rich people, he doesn't have to.

And he's married to Jada Pinkett. I'm jealous beyond words. But I digress.

Now, let's get to this...Bow Wow. First things first, he got in with his name beiing a spinoff of another rapper's name. Way to be your own man, kid. Bow Wow's not even real words. That's onomatopoeia. And does he have a hit that Da Brat didn't write? His best selling album was his first, it went double platinum and Da Brat wrote every word of it. The follow up went platinum and Da Brat wrote that one, too. The title of his movie debut, "Like Mike" is an excellent metaphor for his music career, "Like Snoop Dogg and Da Brat."

You can't call yourself a rapper if you don't write your own lyrics. Puffy knows this, that's why he doesn't call himself a rapper. And for a kid who calls himself "Bow Wow" to call another person corny...that's takes gall. The unmitigated kind.

I can't believe the nerve of this guy who's never put out an album without a ghostwriter, who's never had a song that was played the next year, let alone a certifiable classic. He talks about Will Smith, yet Will Smith put him on the Wild, Wild, West soundtrack. Yeah, Bow Wow sounds really grateful. Will Smith was the first rapper to successfully do a lot of the things these rap cats are trying to do now. Everyone out there is trying to follow in Will Smith's footsteps, from DMX to Bow Wow and most of them can't get a good show, let alone a good movie. I'm not gonna lie and say that he's a great rapper, but he's certainly a pioneer in hip-hop and deserves to be respected. Especially by someone who'll be forgotten by the time he can grow a full beard.