Willennium

Will Smith is the future of hip-hop--in the sense that Willennium, his follow-up to 1997´s multiplatinum Big Willie Style, is sure to dominate pop-rap airwaves and sales in the months after its release. Proud of his kid appeal but also self-mocking (he carries the title concept further with the single "Will2K," a party jam built on a sample of the Clash´s "Rock the Casbah"), Smith celebrates the early-rap values of good-natured boasting and fun-fun-fun. This megastar´s desire to remain part of the community is reflected in his savvy choice of guests, who number everyone from K-Ci to rappers new school (Lil´ Kim, Eve) and old (Slick Rick, Biz Markie); once and future partner DJ Jazzy Jeff even gets his own four minutes of funk on the scratch-happy "Pump Me Up." Smith also attempts cinematic--natch--storytelling on "Afro Angel" and "The Rain," which are admirably solemn if far from the best things here. Smith may not be the hippest hip-hopper around, but as Chuck D once said of another, very different figure, "Don´t tell me that you understand until you hear the man."