Willennium is the second studio album by American rapper Will Smith. Recorded with a range of producers, including Poke & Tone and frequent collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, it was released on November 16, 1999, by Columbia Records. The album reached number 5 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, making this Smith's second top ten album and second multi-platinum album following Big Willie Style in 1997. The album also reached the top ten on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified multi-platinum in that region and in other regions. "Wild Wild West", "Will 2K" and "Freakin' It" were released as singles.
Recording and production
Much of the recording for Willennium took place at producer DJ Jazzy Jeff's A Touch of Jazz Studios in Smith's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where nine songs ("La Fiesta", "So Fresh", "Pump Me Up", "Can You Feel Me?", "Potnas", "Interlude", "No More", "Uuhhh" and "The Rain") were tracked. Additional recording took place in Los Angeles, California at The Hacienda ("Da Butta", "Who Am I", "Afro Angel", "Can You Feel Me?", "Potnas" and "No More") and The Mix Room ("Who Am I"), and in New York City, New York at The Hit Factory ("Will 2K", "Freakin' It", "Da Butta", "Interlude", "Uuhhh"), Right Track Studios ("Will 2K", "Freakin' It"), Quad Studios ("I'm Comin) and Maw Studios ("La Fiesta").
Production for Willennium was handled by a number of producers who had previously worked on Big Willie Style, including executive producers DJ Jazzy Jeff and Poke & Tone, Keith Pelzer and Sauce, as well as a number of new contributors: Rob Fusari, Kay-Gee, "Little" Louie Vega, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and more.
The tenth track, "Can You Feel Me?", samples the song, "Working Day and Night", from Michael Jackson's Off the Wall studio album.
Promotion and release
The release of Willennium was preceded by the single "Wild Wild West" in May 1999, originally released on Wild Wild West: Music Inspired by the Motion Picture. The title track to the film of the same name was a commercial success, reaching the top ten on singles charts around the world, and topping the US Billboard Hot 100 as Smith's second US number one. "Will 2K" was released as the album's second single in November, and reached the top three in Australia and the United Kingdom. The third and final single from Willennium, "Freakin' It", reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.
Composition
Lyrics
On Willennium, Smith is said to celebrate his success on a number of songs, including album opener "I'm Comin and single "Freakin' It", in which he responds to criticism directed at lead single "Wild Wild West" by pointing out its performance on the singles charts. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club goes as far as to claim that on the album Smith "takes the offensive, lashing out against critics who've labeled him a soft sell-out", and points out that some of the lyrics level criticism against the gangsta rap genre.
A review by the magazine NME categorised songs on the album into two categories: first, "partied-up, pumped-up, knock-out rap records", and second, "schmaltzy songs about brotherly love and stuff". Cynthia Fuchs of the website PopMatters claims that Willennium is "an album about the future, specifically, Smith’s future cred on the hip-hop front", and points out the presence of lyrical themes such as money, politics, and relationships. The Harvard Crimson's Carla Mastraccio notes the "clever satire of pop culture" in "Freakin' It", and the overall relatability of the simple lyrics on the album, while Steve Jones of USA Today identifies themes of family and loyalty in the lyrics.
Music
Writing for the website AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Willennium positively as "gaudy, giddy, infectiously silly, and proudly over-the-top", praising the album for featuring "bright, joyful party music that celebrates its big beats and big hooks". Erlewine noted the use of samples from "Rock the Casbah" by English punk rock band The Clash in the single "Slap 2K" as "so mind-bogglingly unpredictable that it's hard not to smile". In addition to upbeat songs, the album has also been described as featuring ballads (including "No More") and Latin pop sounds (on "La Fiesta"). Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club describes the album negatively as composed of "slick, soulless party jams, old-school nostalgia, chemistry-free duets ... and cheerful materialism".