Jaden Smith - Icon

Jaden Smith is labelled with the 'born into success' tag before he opens his mouth. But is this fair? Jaden earlier this year released his single Icon and it is a big statement to all his doubters.

The video is simple but impactful. Jaden dancing in front of a sunset and a pricey car is nothing new, but his passion and anger spitting his lyrics is shown in the video. The simplicity works in the video with the message of the lyrics carrying the song not an extravagant video focused on the idea of an 'icon' which could have been Jaden's plan.

He definitely is not a kid anymore. From a cheesy feature with Justin Bieber to a gold toothed rapper touring the world with J Cole. Jaden has also become known in the non-musical world, with his successful MSFTS clothing line which is also mentioned in the song, "MSFTS, just did, Nylon cover, five minutes". The song does show the evolution of Jaden, mentioning his fame, heartbreak and media troubles identifies his new maturity levels. Hos interview with Genius (below) goes into these interesting subjects in the song in more detail.

His arrogance can be frustrating sometimes, however, philosophical tweets and outrages claims for him and his MSFTS crew "MSFTS is a collective of individuals dedicated to raising the consciousness of humanity through art" Jaden proclaimed in his Genius interview. MSFTS is a very successful clothing line and music label but with Jaden making statements such as this it only confirms to certain people that he is way over his head. Jaden, however, has proven himself now as a creative musician, clothes designer and actor, to call himself an 'Icon' in this era is a fair statement. Additionally, his interview with Genius about the lyrics of Icon show a side of Jaden not seen before - his modesty. When questioned about calling the track 'Icon' he questions if he is one himself. The line in the song "I am not a mayan I'm a menace", is Jaden admitting he isn't trying to predict the future but is having fun with his music. He also discusses the term Icon mentioning Elon Musk, Kid Cudi, Tycho, Kanye, his sister Willow and of course his dad.

The song grabbed the attention of many due to the lively beat and flow of the song. Jaden is energised on this track and his entire record SYRE. This energy is confirmed with his live performances of the track and it being his most successful single to date when looking at the sale numbers. Will Smith posted a video on his personal YouTube channel of him going on stage with his son to perform Icon, the atmosphere is insane. Arguably the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air would turn any crowd giddy, but the power of the song and the bouncing beat leads to an memorable performance of the track. Jaden has created a memorable/unique song in the post-Will Smith clean rap modern era.