Big Willie Style (1997)

Big Willie Style is the debut solo album by American rapper and actor Will Smith. It was released on November 25, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album was primarily produced by Poke & Tone, with other contributors including L.E.S. and Smith's frequent collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff. The album was the first to be released by Smith since 1993's Code Red, the last by the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. Five singles were released, including Smith's first US Billboard Hot 100 number one, "Gettin' Jiggy wit It".

After releasing five albums with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Smith turned his focus to acting and appeared in such films as Bad Boys and Independence Day before returning to the studio in 1996. The following year he starred in Men in Black, for which he recorded the song of the same name and topped the singles charts in several countries. Big Willie Style was released later in the year, reaching the top ten of the US Billboard 200, the UK Albums Chart and several other international charts.

Recording and production

Recording for Big Willie Style took place mainly in New York City with producers Poke & Tone and L.E.S. – four tracks each were recorded at The Hit Factory ("Y'all Know", "Chasing Forever", "Miami" and "Just Cruisin'") and Right Track Studios ("Gettin' Jiggy wit It", "Candy", "Yes Yes Y'all" and "Big Willie Style"). Three tracks ("Don't Say Nothin'", "I Loved You" and "It's All Good") were recorded at DJ Jazzy Jeff's A Touch of Jazz Studios in Smith's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and "Just the Two of Us" was recorded at Pacifique Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Curtis "Sauce" Wilson. Other contributing producers were Keith Pelzer, Ryan Toby (both on "Don't Say Nothin'" and "I Love You"), Andreao Heard ("Y'all Know") and Valvin Roane ("I Loved You").

The songs on the album are broken up by a number of interludes featuring exchanges between Smith and the fictional character Keith B-Real, a "hilarious" magazine editor and motivational-tape artist. B-Real is voiced by actor Jamie Foxx. All four of the "Keith B-Real" skits (including "Intro") were recorded by Jean-Claude Olivier – Poke of Poke & Tone – at The Hacienda in Los Angeles, California, and were co-produced by Smith.

Composition and lyrics

As with Smith's previous releases with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Big Willie Style showcases a radio-friendly pop-rap sound with non-explicit lyrics. Speaking about the lyrics on Big Willie Style, Jamie Hunter of Rolling Stone identified themes including multiculturalism and monogamy, commenting that Smith tells "the larger story of rap values tweaking the American dream, of how he's come to terms with the conflict between the neighborhood and the global cineplex". The musical production on Big Willie Style is focused largely around samples of disco and soul music acts from the 1980s. Artists sampled include Sister Sledge ("He's the Greatest Dancer" on "Gettin' Jiggy wit It"), Stevie Wonder ("Ribbon in the Sky" on "Chasing Forever") and The Whispers ("And the Beat Goes On" on "Miami").

Promotion and release

The release of Big Willie Style was preceded by the release of the single "Men in Black" on June 3, 1997, originally released on Men in Black: The Album. The title track to the homonymous film was a commercial success, topping singles charts in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, where it remained atop the chart for four weeks. "Just Cruisin'" was released as the album's second single on November 25, 1997, charting at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. However, the remix is only featured on the European reissue of the album. On January 26, 1998, "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" was released on February 10, 1998, as the third single from the album to great commercial success – it became the first single by Smith to top the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and also reached the top ten in numerous other regions. "Just the Two of Us" and "Miami" were released as the final two singles from the album in July and November 1998, respectively, and both enjoyed mild commercial success in the US by reaching the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100; the singles were more successful in the UK, however, where they reached number two and number three on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.

Reception

Commercial

Big Willie Style was a commercial success. Reaching a peak position of number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, it remained on the chart for a total of 99 weeks. On the UK Albums Chart, the record entered at number 63 in December 1997, remaining in the top 100 for 29 weeks; in July the following year the album returned to the top 100, and by January 1999 it had reached its peak position of number nine. In total, the album spent 87 weeks in the UK top 100, during three separate periods. Other regions in which the album peaked in the top ten include France (#5), Norway (#8) and the Netherlands (#9). In 1999, Billboard reported that Big Willie Style had been the 39th best-selling pop album of the period between 1990 and 1999.