Dec. 8, 2020
By Amerie Diaz
Staff Writer
Jaden Smith—better known as Jaden—is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter, rapper and actor from Malibu, California. The son of actors Jada and Will Smith, he has been focusing on creating music and making a name for himself so he is no longer just known as the “Smiths’ son.”
Jaden’s music career has been underwhelming. Whether it is the awful vocals or the boring, trite lyrics, he is failing to establish himself. His discography is both unoriginal and not even in the slightest bit interesting.
“Icon” and “Summertime in Paris” featuring Willow Smith are some of his better-known songs. He is featured in “Never Say Never” by Justin Bieber and “Potholes” by Tyler, The Creator. Jaden has also done collaborations with artists including Kid Cudi and A$AP Rocky.
“CTV3: Cool Tape Volume 3,” which was released on Aug. 28, is Jaden’s third studio album. It consists of 17 songs and peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard charts. “CTV3” is a mix of genres, including hip hop, rap and bedroom pop. The album focuses on the events of Jaden’s teenage years and is based on his experiences with heartbreak and falling in love.
“This album is a timepiece in the sense that I am speaking from the perspective as an artist, as a rapper, as a singer, as a poet. I’m speaking from the perspective of being 16, 17ish. That’s when a lot of people get their first love, or heartbreak, around that time, and the same for me. So I’m going back there,” Jaden said in a Billboard interview.
Besides the colorful album cover, there is nothing particularly exciting about Jaden’s latest album. “CTV3” is mediocre and bland, and the vocals are far from outstanding.
Also, the lyrics are corny and cliché. For example, in “Boys and Girls,” Jaden sings, “I say we can change the world / The future lies within the boys and girls.” This song adds nothing exciting to the album.
In “Rainbow Bap,” Jaden raps, “Every lyric is prominent / I feel it.” These lyrics indicate that Jaden wants to convey a deeper and more meaningful message through his songs by writing lyrics that will make an impact on his audience. Unfortunately, Jaden fails to reach his goal of writing impactful lyrics.
“Deep End” falls flat because it is repetitive and the vocals are somewhat annoying. In this song, Jaden sings, “Let’s go diving in the deep end / Wanna fall in to you deeper” as he addresses his relationship and falling in love.
In the quarantine love song “Cabin Fever,” Jaden sings, “‘Cause girl, I got that cabin fever.” In this fast-paced and melodic song, he sings about how much he misses and wants to see his girlfriend.
“LUCY!” is inspired by The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.” Throughout the album, there are many references to the iconic rock band The Beatles including the album cover, which is inspired by The Beatles’ eighth studio album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which is Jaden’s all-time favorite album. In an interview with Apple Music, Jaden said the album inspired him to change people’s lives, be better people and promote positivity.
Besides the colorful album cover, there is nothing particularly exciting about Jaden’s latest album. “CTV3” is mediocre and bland, and the vocals are far from outstanding.
While pretty much all of the songs of this album aren’t great, the worst is “Falling for You” featuring Justin Bieber. The lyrics are boring and repetitive. The sound does not fit with the rest of the songs on the album due to the upbeat rhythm and Bieber’s vocals that sound a lot like a Christmas song.
It is hard to choose the best song on this album because pretty much all of the songs are terrible, but the best would have to be “Photograph,” which is about Jaden’s breakup and feeling lost without his girlfriend. The song is catchy and sounds like it would be perfect to be on a movie soundtrack.
So far, Jaden has not been able to succeed in his music career. If he really is determined to create a name for himself, he will need to find an original style and sound as well as create more significant lyrics that differentiate him from others in the music industry.
