by Khari Gzifa
I know that a lot of people who might frequent this page are big hip-hop fans but may not be a fan of everything that gets tossed under the heading nowadays. It seems the criteria is constantly being broadened. Many of you may look at iconic producer/mc/dancer/etc., Will.I.Am, as that “other” type of hip-hop. I hear you, and in some ways you are right, but at its core the new Will.I.Am album is about as hip-hop as it gets. Let me show you what I mean.
First, allow me to take a long view of Will.I.Am’s work. Let’s go back to the fact that he was originally signed to another west coast icon, the late Eazy-E on his Ruthless Records. Then let’s look at his first foray into solo albums, 2001’s Lost Change, the soundtrack for the movie of the same name. On it, Will worked with legendary west coast femcee, Medusa, and underground veteran Planet Asia and others to make a record that stands with some of the best of the west at the time. At least, non-gangster rap west coast anyway. His other solo albums, Must Be 21 (2003), and Songs About Girls (2007) all show an organic progression into what is his "one-of-a-kind" sound.
The album opens appropriately enough with "Good Morning"; a string dominated ethereal composition that supports a very calm voiced Will.I.Am with soft female accompanying vocals, as he sets an aspirational tone for the project. Not only does he let you know that he is someone who is still able to dream, but he encourages the listener to remember their ability to do the same - even as the world works feverishly to make you forget. The title of the album, WillPower is an obvious play on his name but it also seems to speak to a theme of the album; the power of dreaming big and working hard to bring those dreams to reality. "Hello" is where the party really starts, from the call and response chorus (with what sounds like a crowd of thousands echoing back to him) to the bottle-popping, club hopping lyrics, it’s obvious this record is about having a good time!
Something else starts to become obvious as well, not necessarily a pattern or formula but just an observation. Will, and I'm speaking very generally here, seems to take a lot of the sounds that are popular in the Pop world of huge club records internationally, but uses them in rhythms, and accents them with flows that are native to his more "Golden Era" inspired Hip-Hop roots. And it creates a really unique and enjoyable sound. Granted every hardcore Hip-Hop fan will not be able to appreciate a record like this but I hope that even they can appreciate the skill and talent level it takes to create it. The heavy synth sounds and deep bass prevalent on this cut are indicative of much of the album but it never gets boring. On "This Is Love", he combines similar sounds over beautiful piano chords, along with another favorite thematic element: a female vocal, this time in the form of Danish pop star, Eva Simons, whose powerhouse styling’s add an invaluable spark to the cut that is sure to make it popular with the ladies, especially those that love to sing in the shower.
Some other highlights of the album are "Scream And Shout" featuring Britney Spears, which I will just sum up by saying any record that she features on AND I can listen to more than once, is pretty impressive. "Gettin Dumb" has a catchy melody and features guest verses from Will's Black Eyed Peas homie, Apl.De.Ap and 2NE1, and definitely continues the party vibe. Another thing about this album to me that’s worth noting is the fact that the sound is something that a lot of kids get into. I mean the 14 and under crowd dig this record. Now there are a couple of mature words on it, so get the clean version if you wanna play it for the kids, but I can tell you from personal experience, my little girls love it! But back to the point, I know some of you are all ready to dismiss the project as a bunch of autotuned vocals and female leads but that is where you would be wrong. Will flashes his Hip-Hop O.G. card a couple of times too. On "Geekin", he serves up a futuristic hardcore track replete with computer sounds and even the Intel logo. He beguiles the audience with tales of his way above average intelligence, his love for science and technology and casually drops the fact that he was the first rapper (and as far as I know the only) to send a track into space! How’s that for some "other" type of Hip-Hop. You will likely hit "repeat" on this one. On "Freshy" Will continues to flex his Hip-Hop muscle and invites Juicy J to help, on this all out brag and boast fest that, content-wise, hearkens back to Hip-Hop's early days but the sound is rooted firmly in right now. On other songs like "Ghetto Ghetto" featuring Baby Kaely, a little girl whose voice is so adorable you lose track of the very serious nature of the lyrics, Will invites a whole other demographic to enjoy his variously styled offerings. On "Bang Bang", he actually incorporates a swing music sample and a similarly inspired flow, that creates a hybrid of a boutique styled underground purist cut mixed with dance floor banger, when he brings in the bass laden melody and chorus.
If there are low points at all on this album, I found them in some of the collaborations that I think fell flat. I thought "Fall Down" with Miley Cyrus didn’t bring anything unique to the project and "That Power" with Justin Bieber; for all that he brings in terms of notoriety, he did little to spice up one of the more pedestrian cuts on there. The tracks with Skylar Grey and Nicole Scherzinger, though not two of my favorites, they both lent a real personality to their songs and gave those tracks something that couldn’t have been easily duplicated without them. Over the course of 18 tracks, you are gonna sometime veer from the artist's vision, but this project kept me very interested throughout.
All in all, Will.I.Am's latest project continues what his first project started; it further solidifies him as one of the more creative minds in hip hop who has an overall positive image that (whether you like it or not) reaches way beyond racial and cultural borders. Personally, I think he adds vibrant color to the Hip-Hop palette and I look forward to his next work.