Its wild how will smith went platinum without cursing on his records. Is there any artist today who could recreate that feat?
- Thread starter Scustin Bieburr
- Start date
Complexion
ʇdᴉɹɔsǝɥʇdᴉlɟ
Do family friendly "soft" artists exist today? Could they? The era of Kid N Play was almost over when he stepped in and Will himself rode the 93 wave in a non threatening but more aggressive than usual way:
Canada Goose
Pooping on your head :umad:
You mean can any rappers do that? Cause Pop and R&B singers could do that pretty easily if they wanted too.
My Girl is Bow Legged
JUST DO IT LIKE
donda went plat
Rakim, De La, & Heavy D sold records without profanity, and Method Man said he's going to stop cursing in his songs. More rappers could sell without profanity, but it takes more talent, effort, and creativity than a lot of modern artists possess to write songs without cussin'.
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Fill Collins
Able to get note from doctor
Taylor Swift?
RhodyRum
Mark Gassed-A-Heaux
The FPOBA aired at 8 pm on Monday nights and owned that slot. For damn near it's entire run America ran like clockwork on Monday night:
8pm: FPOBA
8:30 pm: Blossom (not as unanimous as Fresh Prince but still owned that slot)
9pm: Monday Night Football (Al, Frank, and Dan Edition)
Will had crossover appeal unlike any rapper did to that point, and was the first to engulf the nation with both his acting and music since The Rat Pack of Sinatra, Martin, etc of the 1950s.
Therefore he didn't need to wild out with curses or violence in his music because he didn't need to market himself to the "rough urban" niche, and he would have been a fool if he chose to do so. Suburban housewives who watched FPOBA buy music too (to paraphrase Michael Jordan) so why not put music out there for them to purchase comfortably and also for those white folk who may have had a curiosity into hip hop but felt uneased by the gratuitous use of the n word. Will Smith's music would have been a perfect transitionary point for both groups.
Not to mention Will the character became such an ubiquitous entity for Will Smith the human that he couldn't go from "All American good kid with a million dollar smile who's living right" from the TV show to "Violent, gun-toting misogynist who don't give a fukk." in the studio. The stark contrast would not have sat well with his consumer base. I was a teen in 90s NYC and can tell you no one was bumping Will Smith at a time qhen Biggie, Pac, and the Wu reigned supreme. Will was doing numbers, so you know it was other demographics grabbing his music at a rapid pace off the record store shelves. We had no problem at laughing at the antics of goofy Will on a Monday night, but would have gave thugged out Will no burn whatsoever on a Friday evening. What started as a character portrayed by Smith eventually became the overarching definition of Will Smith the man just a few seasons in. He WAS The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, no matter how creatively trapped he may or may not have felt.
And in many ways he still is The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and it's that's identification of him that catapulted him to stratospheres of stardom rarely touched. It's why "The Slap" became a world-stopping moment for damn near a month. The where and what of it obviously contributed, but that it involved America's Fresh Prince as the aggressor (and not, say a Shia Lebouf or Sean Penn, two guys known for hot tempers) was one of those "peel back the curtain" moments of uncomfortable truths that leave onlookers speechless, like the school valedictorian beating someone to a pulp instead of the bully. Up until the Oscars moment America still saw the "Will Smith" who would threaten to smack Carlton jokingly, flash his amazing smile 10 minutes later, and who always came out the good-guy winner at the end of a 30 minute farce. That night they saw the death of that character and it was jarring for many to witness, especially live.
Aggression was never going to be his calling card. Contemporary society has changed for the bleeker and with cynicism ratcheted up we will probably never see a "clean" rapper put up "Will Smith numbers" ever again.
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GoAggieGo.
getting blitzed.
Chamillionaire tried.
dora_da_destroyer
Master Baker
today's r&b singers?
can't remember the last r&b album that was filled with expletives
not cursing on an album/multiple albums >>> not cursing on a song
MaxBundles
Veteran
There's this cac rapper name NF that doesn't curse and I'm pretty sure he went platinum before
RhodyRum
Mark Gassed-A-Heaux
That's how you know you're dealing with great writing from a great writer. My thoughts are so salient and properly structured before you know it you find yourself going from unsure apprehension due to my voluminous approach to actively engorged due to my thorough execution.
There's an "IT" to this shıt and being fly makes it flow as natural as river water.
Be'lee dat, my Neegus
And thwy clowned him for it. Damn shame