Is Will Smith considered a great?

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  • loch121
    loch121 Members Posts: 12,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Will was always a novelty act
  • peagle05
    peagle05 Members Posts: 25,011 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    will been in my personal top 5, no ? given to any other opinion
  • MF_Doomerville
    MF_Doomerville Members Posts: 2,287 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Will is a legend. Nobody can deny that BUT...he was not one of the best. Not even for his era.
  • RawAce
    RawAce Members Posts: 4,800 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    loch121 wrote: »
    Will was always a novelty act

    wtf
    no sir

    afro man is a novelty act

  • loch121
    loch121 Members Posts: 12,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    RawAce wrote: »
    loch121 wrote: »
    Will was always a novelty act

    wtf
    no sir

    afro man is a novelty act

    Every song was some gimmick ? . I think I can beat Mike Tyson, Nightmare on my street, Girls with the I love jeanie sample.It was like some fat Boys Wipe Out ? .Rakim wrote Summertime so he gets no credit for that great song
  • trACE_evidence
    trACE_evidence Members Posts: 994 ✭✭✭
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    yeah...























    a great actor
  • DMTxTHC
    DMTxTHC Members Posts: 14,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Definitely a legend.

    i_am_legend+1.jpg
  • wellingdowd
    wellingdowd Members Posts: 115
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    Of course he is. And this is coming from someone that was an extreme Will Smith hater.
    I did not think he made music I could relate to. I grew up living more like "Good Times" than like "The Fresh Prince". So I was into NWA, ICE-T and Hip-Hop with a harder edge.

    I thought he sucked as an actor and just started watching reruns of his show a few years ago, because when I was younger I thought he played himself. I hated when he dropped "Summertime" because Dougie Fresh already had a song called "Summertime" I knew they'd play Will's version forever. Plus he and Jazzy Jeff won the first rap Grammy. I was like "Damn, they just gave that to him cause he's a popcorn rapper." I mean dude kept winning at everything he did. Music,TV, movies.

    So what changed? In part I grew up and my life got better. I became a different person. Also Will dropped Big Willie Style; where as other rappers started the flashy, I get money style. Will was actually getting money like 10-20 million a movie. I also started to think that Will remained Hip-Hop through-out, he never ran away from his Rap Past; he was not embarrassed by it like Marky Mark. I thought back to how he boycotted his Grammy win and stood together with most of Hip-Hop where as Kool Moe Dee who was much more widely accepted by rap as a whole went and performed on the Grammy's like he was happy to get the bone that they threw them.

    Let's face it Will is not just a great; he is a pioneer. There where not a lot of doors that where just opened for him. As I recalled he and Jeff had the first double album in rap and it went platinum plus. He was one of the first rappers to star in a TV show as the main character. He was one of the first rappers that had movie roles written specifically for him. And was the first one nominated for an Oscar for acting.

    So yeah Will has been and remains one of the greatest representatives of Rap/Hip Hop..... Class Dismissed.
  • wellingdowd
    wellingdowd Members Posts: 115
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    "were" not "where" maybe i need some one else to teach class. lol
  • water ur seeds
    water ur seeds Members Posts: 17,667 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    loch121 wrote: »
    RawAce wrote: »
    loch121 wrote: »
    Will was always a novelty act

    wtf
    no sir

    afro man is a novelty act

    Every song was some gimmick ? . I think I can beat Mike Tyson, Nightmare on my street, Girls with the I love jeanie sample.It was like some fat Boys Wipe Out ? .Rakim wrote Summertime so he gets no credit for that great song



    thats called creativity, its a concept song, masta ace (who is in my top 5 doa) has been doing that for years, he makes concept albums... emc's album, long hot summer and disposable arts all follow concepts... granted, nas and rakim helped with his rhymes after fresh prince days... dudes still a great imo
  • loch121
    loch121 Members Posts: 12,884 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2012
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    loch121 wrote: »
    RawAce wrote: »
    loch121 wrote: »
    Will was always a novelty act

    wtf
    no sir

    afro man is a novelty act

    Every song was some gimmick ? . I think I can beat Mike Tyson, Nightmare on my street, Girls with the I love jeanie sample.It was like some fat Boys Wipe Out ? .Rakim wrote Summertime so he gets no credit for that great song



    thats called creativity, its a concept song, masta ace (who is in my top 5 doa) has been doing that for years, he makes concept albums... emc's album, long hot summer and disposable arts all follow concepts... granted, nas and rakim helped with his rhymes after fresh prince days... dudes still a great imo

    I'm all for concepts and at the time the ? was entertaining, but it was cheesy even then.

    There were way doper Mcs on Def jam and in the game period.Was more of a fan of jazzy than WIll, but I'm proud that he's from hip hop.I could never call him a great though.

    Too many other dudes who really spit are from that era, like Masta Ace

  • water ur seeds
    water ur seeds Members Posts: 17,667 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    loch121 wrote: »
    loch121 wrote: »
    RawAce wrote: »
    loch121 wrote: »
    Will was always a novelty act

    wtf
    no sir

    afro man is a novelty act

    Every song was some gimmick ? . I think I can beat Mike Tyson, Nightmare on my street, Girls with the I love jeanie sample.It was like some fat Boys Wipe Out ? .Rakim wrote Summertime so he gets no credit for that great song



    thats called creativity, its a concept song, masta ace (who is in my top 5 doa) has been doing that for years, he makes concept albums... emc's album, long hot summer and disposable arts all follow concepts... granted, nas and rakim helped with his rhymes after fresh prince days... dudes still a great imo

    I'm all for concepts and at the time the ? was entertaining, but it was cheesy even then.

    There were way doper Mcs on Def jam and in the game period.Was more of a fan of jazzy than WIll, but I'm proud that he's from hip hop.I could never call him a great though.

    Too many other dudes who really spit are from that era, like Masta Ace


    great thing about hip hop is its all about debating and opinions and thats yours... for me will brings back so many good memories of when i was a yout and bumping his music, thats one reason i rate him so highly... its nice to sometimes put on some mad gangsta ? , then some conscious ? , and sometimes some light fun ? ... but his achievements have been monumental thats undeniable, his flow used to be crazy to... though his music is total trash now though...


    'And while we sit around debatin' who the wack MC's
    They have to work when arthritic pain attack the knees'
  • BlackAX410
    BlackAX410 Members Posts: 35,415 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    for those who called him a novelty act nd gimmick there's been songs posted where he ripped it he stayed in his lane nd element nd had fun don't single out some singles nd make it seem like dats ALL his career was about
  • a_list
    a_list Members Posts: 4,886 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    will wasnt the best rapper but churned out some great songs.....great actor, first rapper to win a grammy, boycotted the grammy's that same year, brought a little hip hop into homes world wide with the tv show.....so yes legend


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjWfJaBBjhA

  • Melanin_Enriched
    Melanin_Enriched Members Posts: 22,868 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Great actor yea. Great rapper? lolololol
  • skeep
    skeep Members Posts: 298
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    The questions is, do you think he is great? I think he is still great. His last album had some amazing jams on them. Unfortunately he is not marketed or loved by the masses that way at the moment but that doesn't mean he isn't great. He has definite classics and can still rap circles and out perform most emcees today. He's a GREAT showman.
  • Trillaaaaaa
    Trillaaaaaa Members Posts: 8,974 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2012
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    He paid his dues....Well respected in my book
  • starvin
    starvin Members Posts: 1,859 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    "Will Smith dont have to cuss in his rap to sell records, well I do...So ? him and ? you too" -Eminem

    But seriously Will is absolutely a legend

    Why is eminem so corny man ?
  • beatboy1
    beatboy1 Members Posts: 121 ✭✭
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    just because some might not have liked the style of some of his music doesnt discount the fact that he was one of the best lyricist..and have one of the best flows ever..everyone cant rap about moving wieght
  • HailBlackMary
    HailBlackMary Members Posts: 93
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    I always thought Will Smith was corny. It has nothing to do with him not being street orientated, imo gangsta rap has been the most detrimental influences in rap music and in the black community. I never use the sales and grammy wins for a goat discussion, and I'm surprised it is brought up since alot of people here don't consider Eminem or Lil Wayne as a great inspite of their sales and trophy wins. Will Smith won alot and sold alot due to him being a non-threatening always smiling Black man. He had cross over appeal and made white folks comfortable. A Bill Cosby vs a Richard Pryor/Paul Mooney. I don't hate Will Smith's music but he isn't a great rapper and his flow is lame imo. Plus alot of his better songs were ghost written. He is a great actor definately.