Hi, my name is Murderator and I like Will Smith

My own bastard friends will probably snicker at me for saying that, and that's cool, but I've always liked Fresh Prince/Will Smith. I didn't grow up in this country, so I was a little behind in terms of my hip-hop education. Then my sister that lived in Brooklyn sent me my first commercially purchased hip-hop cassette, and it was He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper and I was enthralled. Come on - tracks like "As We Go" and "Brand New Funk" are still hot as hell.

Fast-forward to the "gettin' jiggy" era, and by now, post-Grammy movie star Will Smith was making purely bubble-gum music - but he was still completely likeable, in the sense that it's the kind of music you could let your suburban kids listen to it with no qualms. Any "real" hip-hop fan with a shred of self-respect and street cred couldn't admit to liking that stuff - which is why it was funny when Eminem dissed him.

But it's now 2005, and Lost and Found is out. I bought it partially because I feel so saturated with the G-Unit and I was looking for a change. But also because I still really do like Will Smith, and really wanted this album to be good. I was pleasantly surprised. Many of Will Smith's post-"Summertime" joints have suffered from shitty production, but this album is solid, even featuring a cut with Snoop Dogg. There's plenty of good party music - that's probably his forte - and dammit, I even like the "Switch" remix featuring Robin Thicke.

Then there's the very touching "Tell Me Why," featuring Mary J. Blige, which tries to tackle all those tough questions you face as a parent trying to explain issues like September 11th and the War on Terror, and child molestation; and also "Loretta" which tells the true story of an obsessed fan (kind of like Stan, but not that psychotic).

Will is also very honest and candid about how he's been treated by a genre of music and a culture that - let's face it - he helped pioneer and bring to the mainstream. From Black radio not playing him because he's "not Black enough" to Em's dis, to rumors that he's gay, to wishing he was getting the airplay of "Lean Back" and "Drop it Like it's Hot", he puts it all out there. For a second, you feel a little bad for him, but then you remember that he makes $20 million for a movie like Hitch, and he's married to Jada, and then you realize that he's doing okay.

There are a couple of fluffy tracks thrown in the mix ("Mr. Nice-Guy", his response to his detractors, is kind of anemic, and "Could You Love Me" is a little bland), but in summary, it's a good friggin' album. I probably would get some funny looks for saying that, and in some circles, I would have to defend myself for liking it, while nobody has a problem with "skeet-skeet-skeet-skeet". I was at a Yankees game last night, and actually felt a little uncomfortable when they played a snippet of a Jigga lyric: "it's hard to yell when the barrel's in ya mouth". Come on - that's not family entertainment...

Imagine for just a moment that Will Smith and 50 Cent could exchange places - that Will Smith's brand of hip-hop was what was "cool" to listen to, and that "real" niggas had no problem admitting they like his music, and that little kids running around out there didn't want to be shot just because 50 got shot. If somehow it were cool to love your wife and your kids and to have strong family values, and to be really fucking smart (Will turned down a scholarship to MIT to pursue his rap career)... that to be considered a good hip-hop artist, you didn't have to have the mandatory Parental Advisory sticker on your CD cover.

That would be some shit, huh?