Willow Smith "I Whip My Hair" Single Review

10/25/2010 08:43:00 PM

LaurenLCD



When I heard that Willow Smith -Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith's precocious 9 yr. old came out with a song and video (I was late to the mix since I don't watch BET [Black Entertainment Television {*scoffs at the misnomer*}]) on the 18th, I watched tonight it expecting something trite like what Lil' Wayne's daughter and her posse did earlier in the year: a one barely there hit for a few minutes, then gone never to be heard from again. I expected autotune and a kid who thinks that gyrating her hips equates to dancing since she no doubt grew up watching Beyonce like I did (only I had Destiny's Child). I expected a kid who thinks she'd be cool if she rapped.

I was given none of that (except the autotune, but even that was kept minimal. Yes, for 95% of the song, it is her voice). What I got instead, was a fun song that will no doubt bring money in for chiropractors. I didn't expect it to be all that great, but I was thrown for a loop. This kid has presence and came out confident. She brought what she had to the table 110%. The best thing is: it's age appropriate. She's not singing about boys. She's not singing about being materialistic. She's just having fun and being herself.

The video itself reminds me of 2ne1 in terms of visual feel. Everything just pops out at you. It can get crazy and seizure inducing with the camera shakes, but over all, it's fun to watch, and I can see myself dancing to it. My only complaint over all is the repeated hook in the background a million and one times. It's headache inducing if you're not used to  that type of music.

Song: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪.8 / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
 Visuals: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
Overall: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ / ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

It's difficult to like kid acts and if anything, it's considered "cool" to hate the likes of Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, and (in Kpop's case) GP Basic because they're so blatantly manufactured by money hungry companies, and lose all their "cuteness" to sexual exploitation in their attempt to create appeal. Since this is Will and Jada's daughter, I'm sure they know when to put their foot down. Since they're already super stars, they don't need to ride their kids' coattails and I hope they never do. I look forward to hearing more from this kid.

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