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Lost and Found
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Date Aired
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April 25, 2022
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Running Time
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31:10
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Previous review
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Website
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Intro[]
Audible logo flashes on screen
Todd (VO): This video is brought to you by Audible.
Footage of Chris Rock's presenter segment during the 94th Academy Awards
Chris Rock: That was a—That was a nice one, okay! I'm out here—Uh oh, Richard! [laughs]
Will Smith goes up to the stage, preparing to smack Rock, but just before it happens, the clip is paused
Todd (VO): We are not talking about this. It feels like the world has already changed drastically because of this shocking event just weeks ago. And, obviously, it is the reason why Will Smith is on my mind at this moment in time, but we will not be talking about the incident. Judging by the very heated conversation revolving around it, this is an extremely touchy subject for people, and in fact, I am risking a very real cancellation by even mentioning it. So, for the sake of my own safety and sanity, I will keep myself restricted to a single observation. I'm gonna say one thing, and then we can move on. And that one thing is this.
Todd: Maybe we did not know Will Smith as well as we thought we did.
The clip is resumed with the slap now having occurred
Todd (VO): Whether you thought the slap was justified or unjustified, a big deal or not a big deal...
Todd: ...one thing I think we can all agree on is that we did not see it coming.
Clip of the slap, followed by various clips of Will Smith
Todd (VO): If you told me before the Oscars that someone was gonna get out of their seat and smack a presenter...
Todd: ...I-I'd have picked Liza Minnelli before I guessed Will Smith...
Todd (VO): ...because it was just so at odds with the image Will had strenuously maintained for more than 30 years. Smooth, confident, effortlessly charming, always with that big smile on his face.
Todd: Maybe that image had taken some dents in recent years...
Todd (VO): ...but that's still the guy you thought of when his name came up! Big Will, "The Fresh Prince", everybody's favorite superstar. Someone who'd never lose his cool like that in public!
Todd: A-am I wrong? Maybe I don't know.
Todd (VO): Maybe I'm just projecting. It was shocking to me, but I don't follow him that closely.
Todd: Perhaps those among us who have been paying more attention could've seen this coming a long, long time ago.
Clip of Will Smith – “Switch”
Will: Let’s get it going
Clip of commercial for Lost and Found
Voiceover: Will Smith returns with Lost and Found.
Todd (VO): In 2005, Will Smith released what would be his final record, Lost and Found.
Todd: It was not a particularly successful album.
Todd (VO): It did some mediocre numbers, especially compared to his peak in the ‘90s. [shot of music review rating Lost and Found two out of four stars] And it wasn't particularly well-reviewed either, even by the places that still cared enough about his music to review it. [brief clip of “Switch”] After this album, it was very clear that we had reached the end of the "Willennium", [clip of Will Smith promoting I Am Legend] and it surprised no one that Will Smith would abandon music shortly afterwards and focus up on his far more lucrative film career.
Todd: Then again, was it big enough a failure to be on my show about career-killing failures?
Clip of Will Smith performing "Switch" live, followed by a portion of the music video for the same song
Todd (VO): Lost and Found did not exactly stall his hitmaking momentum; that had been in decline for years. And Will did in fact get one last Top 10 song out of it, allowing him to close the door on his music career with some semblance of dignity.
Clip of “Switch”
Will: Turn around now
Hey
Todd: But as you all know, I am flexible. I have many definitions for what I review here.
Clips from previous Trainwreckords episodes for Paula, Passage, and Kilroy Was Here
Todd (VO): And while I do love to cover shocking flops, I will also cover careers that did not necessarily end with sudden colossal disasters but did end on a note that is just unaccountably weird.
Todd: And friends, Will Smith's Lost and Found is a strange, strange record.
Video for “Party Starter”
Todd (VO): Do not let those self-assured dance moves fool you. The Will Smith that shows up on Lost and Found is not the Big Will you know and love…
Todd: …so don't expect a lot of "Woo! Ha-ha!"
Clip of live performance of “Party Starter”
Todd (VO): No, Will is angry, and he's ready to show you that he's not the soft bubblegum rapper you thought he was. So the Will you get instead is a lot closer to the man you saw screaming profanities at the Oscars. Tightly wound, thin-skinned...
Todd: ...and with a shocking amount of bitterness and anger at the way people talk about him.
Clip of Will Smith performing "I Wish I Made That"
Will: Ignorant, attackin', acting rough
I mean, then will I be black enough?
Todd: It is uncomfortable. So...
Todd raps over the intro to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Todd (VO): [rapping] Now this is a story all about how, Will Smith got pissed and changed his sound...
Todd: ...so, I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you how he became a...
Clip of live performance of “Tell Me Why”
Todd (VO): ...[normal] bitter, unrecognizable buzzkill with more petty grievances than a Mean Girl's burn book.
Todd: Will Smith gets pissy with it. This is Trainwreckords.
Trainwreckords intro followed by album cover for Lost and Found
Big Willie Goes Out of Style[]
Clip from Men In Black
Agent J (Will Smith): You know what the difference is between you and me? [puts on sunglasses] I make this look good.
Todd (VO): When I was a kid, [clip of Will Smith appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman] Will Smith was the single coolest human being I could possibly imagine. When I was a slightly older kid, he was...definitely not that.
Clip of Will Smith performing "Wild Wild West" at the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards
Will: Wicki-wild
Wicki-wicki
Wild Wild West
Jim West, desperado
Like, I was not a cool kid, so I'm definitely not gonna tell you I was too cool for Will Smith. [clips of…] It should surprise none of you that I can recite the entirety of "Gettin' Jiggy Wit it" in my sleep to this day. […and…] And the man wrote "Summertime", a true hip-hop classic. For that alone, he deserves respect. […followed by “Will 2K”] But even a loser like myself could tell that Will Smith was falling off very quickly.
Clip from…
Todd (VO): Obviously, there was "Wild Wild West", where I first learned the cruel lesson that people I loved and trusted could rip me off out of my ten dollars.
Video for Eminem – “The Real Slim Shady”
The year after that, Eminem basically ended him with one line.
Eminem: Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell records
Well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too
Todd: [shrugs] Eminem writes all these…
Clip of Eminem’s freestyle during the 2017 BET Cypher
Todd (VO): …labored, eight-syllable rhymes these days, and the best bar he ever wrote is still just…
Todd: …"Well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too". And I worry that the…
Video for “The Real Slim Shady”
Todd (VO): …context has been lost to time, and that Eminem just looks like a bully now.
Todd: Please know that he wasn't making fun of Will because Will didn't curse. He was making fun of Will because Will was constantly bragging about how he didn't curse.
Clips of Will Smith award acceptance speech...
Will: I never killed nobody in none of my records, I don't use no profanity in none of my records, and still I managed to get up here.
..."Freak It", and "Miami"
Will: All you rappers yellin' about who you put in a hearse
Do me a favor: write one verse without a curse
Todd (VO): Like, it's one thing to be clean and kid-friendly, but he was just so confrontational about it. It’s hard not to see him as this corny, grinning doofus. And it didn’t help that the music just stopped being good.
Video for “Black Suits Comin’ (Nod Ya Head)”
If you wanna pinpoint what really ended him, I’d point to the Men in Black II theme, which just like the movie was way, way worse than the original.
Will: Let me see you (Nod ya head) Like this, let me see you (Nod ya head)
Todd: [pause; slowly nods along] Okay. I’m nodding. [after nodding for a few moments] Am I a Men in Black bobblehead? Why am I doing this?
Todd (VO): So for kids my age, this was a good sign that it was time to get into Jay-Z and DMX. [clip of Will Smith interview at the premiere for I, Robot] Meanwhile, Will the movie star was still very popular, so he became kind of a strange entity. [clip of the Bad Boys II soundtrack ad, with Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee – “Shake Ya Tailfeather” playing] A guy who could make Bad Boys II but couldn’t be on the soundtrack to Bad Boys II.
Todd: That’s still pretty good, right? You would think he’d be pretty happy with life. So, let’s forget everything we know now, and rewind back to 2005.
Montage clips of various Will Smith interviews and his appearance at the 2001 Academy Awards for "Ali"
Todd (VO): Will Smith is still very popular. He and Jada are the perfect family as far as we know. Every single one of his movies has debuted at #1, he’s been nominated for an Academy Award, [brief clip of trailer for…] and now he’s about to release his first rom-com, Hitch. Will no longer needs music, but he is not ready to give up on that yet. The one thing he is missing is a hit record, which he hasn’t had in six years.
Video for “Switch” starts
And that is what he’s going to get with his new single…
"Switch"[]
Will: It’s called “Switch” (Switch)
Let’s get it going
Hey
Todd: Very strange coincidence. [image of movie poster for…] “Hitch, […and single cover for…] switch.”
Todd (VO): My theory—and I know I’m not the first one to think of this—is that it was supposed to be the theme song to Hitch, and we’d see Kevin James dancing to it.
Audio for “Switch” plays over clips of Kevin James dancing in Hitch
And then someone had to tell him that rom-com rap theme songs are not a thing. We’re not making Space Jam.
Todd: Okay, so here we are. Will Smith’s final hit.
Clip of “Switch”
Will: Y'all be looking like “Ooh he's a movie star
He ain't supposed to be out on the floor with everybody”
Todd (VO): Man, remember the [image of Kanye West and Pharrell Williams performing together in…] golf shirt era of hip-hop? Good times.
Todd: Anyway, uh… Full disclosure, I have no memory of this song whatsoever.
Todd (VO): I guess I was pretty deep into my nerd rock phase in 2005, but I’ve had time to go back and reabsorb most of the things I missed. But not this one. As far as I know, it just disappeared. So, listening for the first time, my reaction is…
Todd: "Wow, 2005 was very different than 1998."
Clip of “Getting’ Jiggy wit It”
Will: Illway the an-may on the ance-day oor-flay
Todd (VO): Will peaked in the [clips of Puff Daddy ft. Faith Evans and 112 – “I’ll Be Missing You”] Puffy, Bad Boy, Trackmasters late ‘90s era, […and Pras ft. Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Mya – “Ghetto Supastar”] where everything was based off of really obvious samples and catchy hooks.
Todd: If there was ever a good time to be a pop rapper, that was it.
Video for Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz ft. Ying Yang Twins – “Get Low”
Todd (VO): But old disco beats weren’t gonna fly in a post-crunk era. [clip of “Switch”] So hearing Will on a track like this… it sounds so weird to me.
Will: Hey (Hey)
Turn it over and hit it
Todd (VO): Like, he’s trying to make his “Tipsy,” or “In da Club”. It’s a banger, and not a bop is what I’m saying. It’s not “Knuck If You Buck,” or anything, but for Will, it’s still kind of a first.
Todd: You know, I’ve certainly heard worse. That’s a decent [shot of Wikipedia article for “Switch” with producer name underlined…] beat from… Kwamé? The ‘80s rapper?!
Clip of Kwamé – “The Man We All Know and Love”
Kwamé: I think his name is Kwamé
Todd (VO): I didn’t know he produced. Well, anyway…
Video for “Switch”
I guess that explains why Will’s delivery on the hook is way different.
Will: Turn around now
Todd (VO): I guess he’s trying to put some of that Dirty South grit in his voice; compete with Lil Jon, and Lil Wayne, and all of them.
Todd: Unfortunately, he still is in fact, Will Smith.
Todd (VO): If he was trying to sound less corny, he blows it in the first bar.
Will: Vibe the vibe a second
It's the club, girl, why you arrive nekked?
Did you just tell that girl she wasn’t wearing enough clothes?
Todd: It’s getting hot in here, so… put on more clothes? What are you, her dad?!
Will: I mean real clean, ain't gotta touch or nothing
It ain't like I like a chick on chick or something
Todd: What? Why not?!
Todd (VO): Okay, the song’s not terrible. I’m not surprised it was a hit. But I’m not surprised you don’t hear it anymore either. I think it’s just okay.
Todd: I think it’s much harder to be clean, family-friendly Will Smith on a track like this, and I think you can tell the confusion by his TV appearances.
Clips of two different "Switch" performances
Todd (VO): He performed “Switch” on BET’s 106 & Park that year.
Will: Hey
Little bit louder
And he also performed it at the Kids’ Choice Awards.
Will: Nickelodeon, I can’t hear y’all!
Todd (VO): I—I think you gotta pick one audience here. You can’t do both.
Clip of “Switch”
Will: Hear that, how the veteran glide the record
But don't download, go out and buy the record
Ha-ha! Nice try, Will. No one’s making money off a CD ever again. But anyway, you know, it was reasonably successful. Will has proved his rap career isn’t over, he can still get on the radio.
Get This Party Started[]
Todd: So let’s listen to the album proper.
Todd (VO): It’s called, Lost and Found. ‘Cause… you know, Will Smith was re-finding his lost rap career.
Will: I feel like I found… that rapper, and I’m able to get in a position where I can start to develop on this and spend some time with him.
Album cover for Lost and Found
And you can see it there on the signpost. He’s caught between West Philly and Hollywood. Interesting.
Todd: Well, anyway. We start with the opener, “Here He Comes”.
Audio for “Here He Comes” plays over Will Smith concert footage
Will: Here he comes, he can rock
He can breakdance and he can pop
He can rap, and he can act
And if it come down to it he can scrap
Hey there, here come Big Will again
Here I come y’all, here I come y’all
Todd: [tries hard not to laugh] This is so stupid. I can’t not enjoy this!
Video for “Party Starter” starts
Todd (VO): Well, that was goofy. After that, we get the song that became the second single, [single cover for…] “Party Starter”.
Will: Oh! I'm the party starter
You might have a good time but we party harder
So, tell the DJ to play my song
And we can dance all night to the early morning
Man, I thought the first single didn’t sound like Will Smith.
Todd: Like, it’s obvious what he’s trying to do here, right?
Clip from Bad Boys II
Mike Lowrey (Smith): You one big, tall Ludacris-looking motherfucker, ain’t ya? You rap?
Reggie (Dennis Greene): No.
Mike: Move ni**a, get out the way!
Todd: Yeah, it’s a straight-up Ludacris impression.
Clip of Ludacris ft. Shawnna – “Stand Up”
Ludacris: Stand up!
When I move, you moveVideo for “Party Starter”
Todd (VO): And surprise surprise, Ludacris is in fact credited as a co-writer on this. And to be clear, Will has changed styles many, many times over the course of his career.
Todd: Even right from the start of the DJ Jazzy Jeff days…
Montage of clips from "Parents Just Don’t Understand," "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson," "Summertime," and "Boom! Shake the Room"
Todd (VO): …you can hear him sounding like LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Rakim, Naughty by Nature.
Todd: But none of it sounded so un-Will like he does here.
Clip of “Party Starter”
Will: Throw me into the rave like you threw a grenade, boom!
Oh! I’m the party starter
Todd (VO): I don’t know. I guess you gotta adapt with the times. This is the era of Ying Yang Twins, T.I., Mike Jones. So Will’s kinda jiggy, bubblegum pop-rap just didn’t exist anymore at that point.
Todd: [pause] Wait, yes it did! What the fuck am I talking about?!
Clip of The Black Eyed Peas – “Let’s Get It Started”
will.i.am: Let’s get it started (Ha)
Todd (VO): What am I saying? Like, the Black Eyed Peas or even [clip of “The Way You Move” by…] Outkast wasn’t ruling the charts with catchy pop hooks within that past year?
Todd: No, Will easily could’ve been making shiny, upbeat songs.
Video for “Party Starter”
Todd (VO): So this could only be a choice. What I think is happening is that Will’s trying to get some cred back with, I guess “harder” music. [brief pause] Okay.
Will: Back when rap was smart and multi-layered
We can rap without A&R's and ultimatums, damn!
Well, it didn’t work. “Switch” hit the Top 10, but “Party Starter” didn’t chart at all, and… Will wouldn’t even touch a mike again for many years. And for most people, that is where the story of this record ends.
Todd: And we’re three songs in. You’re probably thinking, “Well, it’s a bunch of party songs. Will’s trying to do a new style that maybe doesn’t really suit him.” But, you know, that’s about what you’d expect, right? No real big surprises there. [beat] Well, I hope you enjoyed the fun portion of the album. Here’s where we start to get off track.
Will Smith is Goin' Off![]
Audio for “Mr. Niceguy” plays over live performance
Will: He's a nice guy (How ya doin?)
He's a nice guy (Good to see ya!)
He's a nice guy (How your mom and 'em?)
Todd (VO): Now, we have the song, “Mr. Niceguy”, about how he’s actually not that nice a guy and it pisses him off that you call him that.
Will: He's a nice guy - Sometimes y'all
Mistake nice for soft, so I before I go off I just
Okay, this song has…
Todd: …gone semi-viral since, “The Slap.” You know, like, “Oh, he was warning us the entire time.” But again, not talkin’ about that.
Todd (VO): So, for this song and any other tough guy posturing you might hear from Will later, just pretend that it’s still ’05, and we don’t know about anything that happens after.
Will: Dissed by Eminem, but did it bother him? Yep
Todd: Holy shit. Is he about to fire back at [clip from 8 Mile] Eminem? One of the most vicious battle rappers of all time? [pause] No, he is not.
Todd (VO): Nah, he just brushes it off without really taking any shots.
Will: But he classy
Big Will just did another 20 mill', walk right past E
Calm down, Willie
You don't wanna go drop the bomb now, Willie
Probably for the best.
Todd: But he does start to go off in the second verse.
Will: Will's a nice guy, why he's so nice I'd
Let him date my daughter like he was a white guy
Todd (VO): WHOA!
Todd: I cannot believe he went there! Take that, hypothetical, patronizing Caucasian man!
Will: Not like the rest, he's a private flight guy
Todd (VO): Now you would think this was a prelude to him taking on the condescending way white people talk about him, which… would be very interesting, but he takes it in a very different direction.
Will: Larry Elder (Uncle Tom?)
You're lucky I ain't make you the whole damn rhyme
Todd: …Larry Elder?!
Clip of Larry Elder interview on 60 Minutes
Todd (VO): Okay, Larry Elder is a right-wing nut job who was very nearly my governor during the last California recall election.
Todd: And apparently, he’s been beefing with Will Smith for twenty years!
Will: Larry Elder (Uncle Tom?)
Todd (VO): He just quickly calls Larry Elder an Uncle Tom.
Todd: And then, he also calls out Wendy Williams.
Will: Wendy Williams, you don't know me
Todd (VO): Wendy Williams was spreading gay rumors about him at the time, which also comes up in a later song. So, Will fires back at her.
Will: Wendy Williams, you don't know me
I'm not your punching bag, you gon' blow me
Up
Look, I don’t know what he’s trying to do here. Like, he tries to brush past Eminem, and then fires insults at radio hosts. Like, Larry Elder is not gonna write his own diss track. Wendy Williams is not gonna go shoot at him on the street. And even if you count them as worthy opponents, these disses aren’t good!
Todd: You can’t be a battle rapper who doesn’t curse!
Will: People dissing Will sat on a wall
People dissing Will had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put none of their careers together again
You get it?
Todd: [pause; shrugs] All three of these people’s careers are doing fine!
"Ms. Holy Roller"[]
Todd (VO): Anyway, let’s get to the next song, “Ms. Holy Roller”.
Will: This is dedicated to an old friend of mine, Michelle
This is one where he gets pissed off at an old friend, who’s become an obnoxious born again who’s judging him all the time.
Will: Ms. Holy Roller, new angel
With your bible out shoutin’ and you ringin’ a bell
Mid-life, (reborn!) and can't wait to tell
If I don't believe what you believe I'm goin’ to hell
Todd (VO): He calls her Michelle in this song, but he also mentions lawyers in this.
Todd: So, this can only be [image of Will with…] his ex-wife, Sheree. And he does write in his memoir [shot of underlined quote from Will] that Sheree did find Jesus after they divorced, and had a lot of annoying thoughts about how he lived his life. So keep in mind that this song is to the mother of his child.
Video for…
Todd (VO): The same child he sang “Just the Two of Us,” about.
Todd: That’s who he’s talking about when he says this.
Will: Where was Jesus when you was greedy, your lawyers was bleedin’ me?
Where was Jesus when every weekend, a new man was livin’ with you?
Oh wait, he was with me, tryin to keep me from killin’ you!
Todd: [beat] Woo! Ha-ha! Uh-uh, what.
Will: The greatest atrocities ever committed on this planet have been in the name of God. Your attitude is the same arrogant, fearful fundamentalism that fueled the hatred of the Crusades and the attacks of 9/11.
Todd (VO): Whoa! Slow it down, Bill Maher!
Todd: Who’s the preachy one here?!
Todd (VO): Man, I just don’t know what to do with this.
Todd: Like, he does get some good shots in.
Will: You can't do dirt your whole life then say, “Oops!”
Todd (VO): And I don’t like judgy Bible thumpers either, and I don’t think he has to have warm feelings about his ex-wife. It’s just jarring is all.
Todd: I was just expecting like, PG versions of “Freek-a-Leek”! I didn’t expect to be dragged into Will’s baby mama drama!
Todd (VO): But Will just sounds incredibly unhappy about everything on this record.
You Just Don't Understand[]
Todd: Like, after this, there’s the title track, “Lost and Found”.
Will: Original – a first form from which varieties arise
Y'all in the hip-hop lost and found
That's what's wrong with the rap game right now
Man it's like a circus with a bunch of clowns
With a bunch of cliques I'll probably rap circles around
Todd (VO): Will freakin’ "Miami-Jiggy-Parents-Just-Don’t-Understand" Smith is here to talk about how hip-hop isn’t real anymore. “What happened to the real hip-hop?
Todd: “Rappers used to be real, and rap about the [clip of "Men in Black"] premise of their billion-dollar blockbuster movie!”
Will: I'm real with it, I ain't claimin’ to reign
But when y'all talk about rap, y'all gon' start sayin’ my name
Todd (VO): I love Will, but he cannot front like this. Everyone knows he uses ghostwriters. It’s not like he has an Illmatic under his belt.
Todd: I read his book, and he straight up admits he focused more on acting because he’s better at it. He…
Video for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – “Parents Just Don’t Understand”
Todd (VO): …started rapping in the '80s when it was all very primitive, and he feels very limited in comparison to the modern hip-hop. [clip of live performance] If there’s any man on Earth who doesn’t get to lecture people about the real hippity-hop, it’s him.
Todd: But if you wanna really get into Will’s grievances with modern rap, we gotta get to this next track, which… in my opinion is the centerpiece of the album. The one song that I couldn’t stop thinking about, called, [shot of track listing for Lost and Found with song circled in red…] "I Wish I Made That."
Todd (VO): We’ve seen him get angry at haters, gossip reporters, and his ex-wife.
Todd: But get ready for him to take on black radio for not playing him enough.
Will: It’s the veteran taking the mic back
David Letterman even said he like that track, man
Even though he ain't a rap fan
Black radio, they won't play though
Ever since "Summertime," they ain't liked none of mine
Todd: Okay, I’m not sure [clip of Will Smith interview with…] that the endorsement of David Letterman is gonna get you your hip-hop cred back.
Will: Damn it, I expanded the platform
Todd (VO): But that’s nothing compared to the chorus, where… I cannot believe this… he starts naming the songs he’s jealous of.
“I Wish I Made That” is intercut with clips from Jay-Z – “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”…
Will: Get that, I wish I woulda made that
…Terror Squad – …
"Lean Back," I wish I woulda made that
…and Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell Williams – ...
I wish I woulda told the girls to drop it like it's hot
"Summer, summertime," seems like all I got
Todd: [pause] I am stunned.
Todd (VO): This has to be the most humiliatingly beta shit I have ever heard in my entire life. And I haven’t even shown you the worst part yet.
Clip of…
When he was on 106 & Park, he led off by jumping on the beat to “How We Do”…
Todd: …and he started rapping this song!
Will: Ever since “Summertime,” they ain’t liked none of mine
Even though the fans went out and bought enough
I guess they think that Will ain’t hard enough
Maybe I should just have a shootout
Run up in the bank, bustin’, grabbin’ all the loot out
Just ignorant, attackin’, actin’ rough
I mean, then, will I be Black enough?
Todd listens on in shock and buries his face in his hands
Will: Oh wait, maybe I’ll jack a truck
Full of cigarettes, guns and drugs and stuff
Todd (VO): I cannot believe he’s up there in front of a black crowd, lecturing them for not supporting him enough! You’re already on 106 & Park, man! Rap about something else!
Todd: This is like when I call home and my mom complains that I don’t call home enough! It doesn’t make me wanna call home more!
Todd (VO): This crowd is not feeling it.
Will: "Lean Back," I wish I woulda made that
I have just never heard a rapper get pissy at their audience because other rappers are cooler than him.
Will: I got some skills, I got some lyrics, and y’all just need to know.
Todd (VO): Like, he made his own family-friendly image, and now he’s angry and lashing out that he used to be the Fresh Prince and now he’s Carlton.
Todd: But I don’t wanna make it sound like the entire album is just personal grievances. For example, he has one song about 9/11. [beat] Yeah. “Na-na-na-na-na-na-na. Uh, uh.”
Yes, This Is A Song About 9/11[]
Clip of Will and Mary J. Blige performing “Tell Me Why”
Will: That night at my son's side, he cried
And prayed for the ones who died in the World Trade
Todd (VO): This is “Tell Me Why”, a serious song about having to explain 9/11 to his son, Jaden.
Will: I really wish I could explain it baby (Why) It's just the world is kinda crazy baby (Oh, why)
Todd: In fact, the state of the world troubles him so much that it moves him to drop the F-bomb for the first time on a record…
Will: And why, did all them cops have to be shootin to kill?
And why, did all them priests have to act so ill?
Tell me why did Reginald Denny deserve his fate?
And why the **** can't love seem to defeat hate?
Todd (VO): And then immediately bleep it out. Come on, Will. It’s like the PG-13 rating; you’re allowed one F-word.
Dogg Eat Dog[]
Todd: There is one guest rapper on here and it is, no joke, [image of…] Snoop Dogg.
Video for “Freak It”
Todd (VO): Like, even just five years earlier, Mr. No-Naughty-Words Fresh Prince [clip of Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg – “The Next Episode”] collaborating with “Murder Was the Case” Snoop Doggy Dogg would’ve been unthinkable. [clip of Will and Snoop] But by ’05, Snoop was drifting more mainstream and Will was trying to look more legit, so here we are.
Todd: But it kinda still doesn’t work because… it’s still a Will Smith song. It’s called, “Pump Ya Brakes”.
Snoop Dogg: What you need to tell her is
Will: Pump ya brakes
Todd: About how you should calm down and not be so aggressive hitting on women or starting fights.
Will: Switch your whole approach, that ain't proper Be a gentleman and try to be gentle, man
Todd (VO): Coming from Will Smith, he may as well be telling me to eat my vegetables and do my homework.
While We're At It, Let's Plug[]
Todd: And there is one last upbeat Will Smith song on here.
Audio for “If U Can’t Dance (Slide)” plays over live performance
Will: If you can’t dance to this
Todd (VO): It’s called, “If U Can’t Dance (Slide)”, where he teaches you how to dance if you can’t dance.
Will: Out on the floor
Don't be doin' moves that don't nobody do no more
Draw too much attention it be adventurous on the floor
There's a reason that don't nobody do 'em no more
Todd: This is the scene from Hitch.
Clip from Hitch
Alex “Hitch” Hitchens (Smith): Now here it is. I don’t wanna see none of that.
Clip of Will Smith performing at the MTV Base 100th Live Concert
Will: It's a shame to even have to discuss
But it's no lip biting or pelvic thrusts, I mean
Back to Hitch
Alex: Don’t—don’t you bite your lip. Stop it!
Todd (VO): It’s directly from Hitch. This had to be intended for Hitch.
Todd: But then, it’s right back to insecurity.
What They Got That I Don't?[]
Todd (VO): Like, there’s a song in here where he asks if you’d still love him if he wasn’t famous.
Audio for “Could U Love Me” plays over another live performance
Will: Could you love me in the shack in a shanty town?
Could you love me if my pants was hand-me-down?
Could you love me if my wrists ain't bling?
If I wasn't on TV, and I ain't sing, huh?
Todd: Okay, I have to say this. This is just “21 Questions” by 50 Cent.
Clip of 50 Cent ft. Nate Dogg – “21 Questions”
Nate Dogg: Girl, it’s easy to love me now
Would you love me if I was down and out?
Todd (VO): In fact, a whole lot of these songs reminded me of other hit songs from that time.
Todd: There’s a song on here called, “Wave Em Off” about brushing away haters.
Will: Wave 'em off, yeahhh
Todd: It’s basically just…
Video for…
Todd (VO): …“Dirt Off Your Shoulder” by Jay-Z.
Todd: He’s got a song called, “Swagga”.
Will: I got my swagga back I got that swagga back
Todd (VO): That’s just straight up a Jay-Z line. “Tell Me Why” is [clips of…] “Why” by Jadakiss. The parts of “I Wish I Made That” where he defends his legacy […and…] reminded me of “Forgot About Dre”. The flow on “Ms. Holy Roller” where he disses his ex-wife reminds me of […followed by…] Eminem on “Cleanin’ Out My Closet”, where he disses his mom.
Todd: Almost every single song on here reminds me of another song. Which makes shit like this…
Will: Why should I try to sound like y’all sound
That's what's wrong with the rap game right now
Todd (VO): …sound really hypocritical.
Todd: He has another bummer of a track on here called, “Loretta”. And that’s…
Video for Eminem – “Stan”
Todd (VO): …basically his “Stan”, ‘cause it’s about a real-life stalker he had.
Audio for “Loretta” plays over concert footage
Will: Loretta, wrote a love letter to a stranger
Thought that he would change her life
Like, I can’t imagine he would’ve written this if not for “Stan”. And…
Todd: …unlike “Stan” it doesn’t really have a point.
Will: Kodak Center, where the Oscars is at
She sleep, gettin’ woke up by the cops in the back
Todd (VO): Loretta follows Will to the Oscars, and gets arrested, end of story. I have no idea what Will thinks about Loretta except, “Huh, that happened. Stalkers ain’t nothin’ but trouble!”
Todd: The last couple songs on the record are…
Audio for “Scary Story” plays over more concert footage
Will: Once upon a time there was a kid who wanted nothin' more than to rhyme
Todd: Okay, first there’s “Scary Story”, where [still shot of Will and Jaden in The Pursuit of Happyness] Will tells Jaden a scary story about a struggling kid who bet everything on a hip-hop career, and hit it big and got everything he wanted. That’s cute. And then finally, an R&B remix of “Switch”…
Video for “Switch (…R&B Remix)” ft…
Todd (VO): …with a young unknown R&B singer named Robin Thicke.
Robin: I don't want nobody sittin’ on the wall
Uh, I guess points for picking out a future star. But at the time I would think… “Who’s this guy?" He’s a nobody. [brief clip of “Rock Your Body” by…] You got him ‘cause you couldn’t afford Justin Timberlake.
The Kanye Factor[]
Todd: So… [pause; sighs] That’s Lost and Found.
Video for “Party Starter”
Todd (VO): It’s a really contradictory record. He’s extremely judgy, but he’s very hurt by other people judging him. He defiantly refuses to be like any other rapper alive while also trying desperately to sound like all the other big rappers.
Todd: More importantly, it’s just no fun.
Todd (VO): And during his entire career as a rapper, that was his strongest point: Being fun.
Todd: More than any hip-hop record…
Clip of Michael Jordan speaking at the Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony
Todd (VO): …what it reminds me most of is Michael Jordan’s legendarily bitter Hall of Fame speech. A beloved icon suddenly venting all the petty frustrations he’d been repressing in public for years.
Footage of Will Smith performances
But you know, in recent weeks, there has been a widespread rush to appreciate the man and all he’s given us, I think out of a very justifiable fear that he’ll get Janet Jacksoned off the face of the Earth. You know, he is a pivotal icon as a black celebrity. This man was my idol, and I don’t wanna feel like I’m just piling on him at his lowest moment, so…
Todd: …I will say this for Lost and Found.
Clip of live performance of “Switch”
Todd (VO): It may not be his best record, or even a very good record, but it is certainly his most personal and his most interesting record. You can see him trying too hard to be other MCs, but there was one rapper from 2005 that…
Todd: …he didn’t copy directly, but I was reminded of more than once.
Clip of Kanye West performing “All Falls Down” live
Kanye West: Man, I promise, I'm so self-conscious
That's why you always see me with at least one of my watches
Todd (VO): Around that time, a hot newcomer named Kanye West was changing the game by being way too honest and spilling his insecurities in a way that no one else ever had. Will is obviously not an artist on Kanye’s level, and it’d be a stretch to call Lost and Found a confessional record, but you can easily see how it could’ve been.
Video for “21 Questions”
When 50 Cent asks you if you’d love him without the money, you don’t buy it; he doesn’t actually care. [clip of Will Smith live performance] When Will Smith asks that, he cares a lot.
Audio for “If U Could Love Me” plays over concert footage
Will: I rationalize, like oh I see
But if you don't like my cut it's like you don't like me
Some stuff works, some works, not so well
It’s like you work like hell, still get hurt like hell
Clip of Oprah Winfrey interview
Todd (VO): More recently, Will has decided to be a different kind of celebrity. The kind that’s open to the public and revealing about his personal life. And whether or not you liked Will’s TMI tour of the last few years, it seemed to be working for him.
Todd: And if that kind of openness is what you’re into, then on Lost and Found, you will hear this man bleed.
Clip of live performance of “Tell Me Why”
Todd (VO): So if he wasn’t gonna make another “Summertime”, then maybe he should’ve leaned into his pain and frustrations even more.
Todd: That’s certainly what he did in his movies.
Montage clips from The Pursuit of Happyness; Hancock; Seven Pounds
Todd (VO): If you notice, he didn’t make a lot more Hitches or Men in Blacks after this. His work became defined by pain and anger. I’d assumed he just knew his schtick had gotten old, but…
Todd: …now I think maybe it was an honest expression of his inner world.
Outro[]
Todd (VO): So Lost and Found is not necessarily good art, but you will know Will Smith as a human being in a way you didn’t beforehand. I don’t know how much of this Will directly wrote, but…
Todd: …ghostwritten or not, this is something only Will Smith could’ve made.
Video for “Will” by...
Todd (VO): In 2020, Joyner Lucas wrote a tribute to him called, “Will”.
Joyner: I learned a lot from him and I owe it
Homie's my idol and don't even know it, ooh
Clip of Will speaking with Joyner on Instagram Live
Will: You understand me in a really unique way that a lot of artists have never been able to grip.
Video for “Will (Remix)”
And Will was moved to hop on a remix and contribute a full verse. And that seemed like a big deal to me, getting that cosign. I mean, I know Joyner Lucas is pretty corny himself, but he’s not a pop rapper. He’s a real MC. Will’s getting a lot of criticism right now, but he’s also got a lot of people defending him. I hope right now he feels more accepted by the hip-hop community than he did in 2005.
Clip of Will Smith live performance
Todd (VO): Maybe he’ll even be moved after this to make another record. [pause] I’d listen.
Todd: [beat] No more battle raps though, Will.
Will: Thank y’all, peace!
Sponsor[]
Ending music: Todd plays "Switch" on piano
THE END
"Lost and Found" is owned by Interscope Records
This video is owned by me
THANK YOU TO THE LOYAL PATRONS!!