Review: "CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3" Album by Jaden Smith
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Being the son of Will Smith has got to be tough. Being the son of Will Smith and trying to have your own rap/music career has got to be even tougher. That being said, I believe that Jaden has carved his own path and found his own unique sound. He’s even removed the Smith from his artist name as he just goes by Jaden now. Jaden follows up his projects “SYRE” and “ERYS” with the third installment in his Cool Tapes Series.
Jaden’s debut album “SYRE” is what made me a fan of his. It had a myriad of sounds and styles. He showcased his rapping, singing and even spoken word abilities. Since then, it has been hard to predict what a Jaden project will sound like. When I heard “Cabin Fever” (the first single that dropped for the project), I got a sense of what direction the project was headed. The next single “Rainbow Bap” confirmed it.
For the longest time, I felt that there was no way Jaden would be able to make an album that I’d enjoy more than SYRE. Being completely honest, I believe he's done that with "CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3". Although there is minimal rapping on this project (much less than SYRE), I truly don't think there’s a single skippable track. I’ve played this album several times front to back with ease.
The first thing that I appreciated was the track “Falling For You” featuring Justin Bieber. For those who remember Bieber’s “Never Say Never”, this song was a nice reunion and reminder of just how much the two of them have grown. Not to mention, the track is insanely catchy.
For me, there’s only one real way to describe this album. It’s a vibe. This project can be played anywhere while doing anything. I had it playing in my friend’s car while we were on a drive and it was the perfect background music. It feels like one long journey. Half of the time I couldn’t tell when one song ended and another began.
Something else I appreciated about this project is how Jaden shows how he’s grown mentally and emotionally. Some of the content on this album lets the listener know that he has matured since his younger years.
The rapping on the project, although there isn’t much of it, is good and it shows me that he’s been working on the craft. I picked up on more advanced rhyme schemes and more lyricism than in his previous works.
Overall, I think "CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3" is in the running for Jaden’s best project. I gave SYRE around a 7.5 out of 10, but I’d give this project at least an 8. My standout tracks are “Falling for You”, “Young in Love” and “Deep End”, although all of them are great. A project like this helps to put him in the category of “artist” instead of trapping him in the box of “rapper”. All in all, Jaden just makes very good music. I’m excited to see what he does in the next 5-7 years.