Jaden Smith brings a lot of sound but little substance to ERYS
The fourth major drop from Will Smith’s prodigal son fails to deliver in a big way.
Jaden Smith made a divisive name for himself when he released his first major studio project SYRE in 2017. Many people found the album braggadocious and felt Jaden was impersonating creative genius rather than genuinely making great music. While these criticisms were merited, there was some room for debate. Songs like Fallen, and the B L U E opener, were creative gems hidden amongst the muddy mess of the album. I was not quick to count Jaden out of the rap game and was anticipating his next release to help settle the debate.
Unfortunately, I was gravely wrong. The Sunset Tapes, cast out in 2018 solidified Jaden’s reputation as a creative imposter, opting for high-quality production and trending styles to carry the album. The Sunset Tapes sounded more like a collage of SYRE off-cuts than a standalone record.
Read more: The Sunset Tapes: A Cool Tape Story — Jaden Smith
ERYS has tied the ribbon on this lacklustre reputation. The strong moments on the album are too buried in the weak to notice. The sheer mass of similar songs bleed together in a blur of atmospheric trap beats and slurred bars. The highlights are limited to the P I N K opener and features from ASAP Rocky, Tyler, The Creator and Kid Cudi. Aside from these tracks, you can mostly ignore the rest of the album. It sounds identical to the Jaden we heard on SYRE with less decipherable lyrics.
One thing Jaden consistently delivers on, is track selection. Lido and Yuki, the lead producers on the album, continue to deliver ethereal trap beats that offer the signature ‘Jaden’ sound. Guest features from producers such as Tay Kieth, Keyz and Keanu Beats help bolster the line-up but fail to diversify the tracks enough to keep the album sounding fresh all the way through.
While this album may blend in well over the speakers of an inner city skate-shop, it makes for a difficult hour through headphones. I still hold hope that Jaden will release a clean album that plays better to his strengths, but if the third time is the charm, it looks like I’m out of luck.
