Buoyant beats brim with tension: Shore hip-hop talent Chill Smith to release new album
It's often a dirty world, but you got to be “Pretty Everyday.”
That's the name of the appealing, provocative and often brilliant new album (available Sept. 9) from Bayville hip-hop rising talent Chill Smith.
“A lot of it had to do with the Trump presidency, and on top of that the pandemic,” said Smith of “Pretty Everyday.” “A lot was happening around me and my life was pretty much unfazed. I felt like the world was burning around me, but I remained untouched.”
Sometimes, though, there are invisible scars. “Pretty Everyday” is a juxtaposition of race, status, sex, societal expectations and vulnerability.
The record, produced by Smith in his Chillville studio, brims with tension while the beats are buoyant. Smith mined them from various sources, added a few trap elements and a gritty retro sheen.
Smith has emerged as one of the most prominent voices on the Jersey Shore hip-hop scene, thanks to previous tracks like his 2020 “Reverse Racism.” Chris Rockwell, Heather Hills, New Br33d, Jim Mill, Feat OE and Ali Longo lend their voices to “Pretty Everyday.” Harry Heist and AP are co-producers.
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Check the lyrics — they're definitely NC-17. But give it a listen and you might learn something.
“Black culture is fascinating for people,” said Smith, aka Will Smith. “When I came to the suburbs (from Paterson), I didn’t think anybody would listen to rap music. I was surprised, and it was interesting to see people who don’t come from that element portray that.
"It’s very weird to me," he continued. "I don’t understand it because I don’t carry myself that way. ... I think a lot of people who do that don’t know themselves as a person, so they just gravitate to what they perceive to be cool.”
Visit www.instagram.com/soundsmithrec for more info.
Soul on the boardwalk
In 1967, the Music Explosion sang about a “Little Bit O'Soul.”
In 2022, Alexander Simone and the Whodat? Crew will bring a whole lot of soul to the Asbury Park Boardwalk when they perform Saturday, Aug. 20, at Langosta Lounge.
“We're bringing the soul circuit,” Simone said. “This show is going to be different.”
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Jermaine Holmes, Fred Soul, Zal Walton and “many more” will be joining Simone on stage.
Holmes, a New Brunswick native, has backed D’Angelo, Pete Rock and more.
“There's never been a show like this in the area,” said Simone, the grandson of the great Nina Simone. “This show is about the movement.”
Go: Alexander Simone and the Whodat? Crew with Friends, 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, Langosta Lounge, Boardwalk, Asbury Park, free. www.langostalounge.com.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ music: Jersey Shore hip-hop artist releases new album
