Amidst spending hours in sweatpants, binge watching AHS Hotel, and making several trips to Krispie Kreme, my best friend and I discovered something life-altering over winter break: Willow Smith's first full-length album "Ardipthecus". In case you missed it, the album was released in December and Willow was the sole writer on 14 of its 15 tracks. (As well as the sole producer of 10.) And here's the kicker: she's only 15 years old.
Willow sounds like a younger FKA Twigs in the best possible way. Her style is experimental rap, a far cry from her first single "Whip My Hair," which was released when she was 10. Her intelligence and skill level is apparent from the first track, "Classification & Organization," and continues to reveal itself as the sonically-cohesive album progresses.
In fact, you don't even have to press play before Googling the first word Willow uses that you don't even kind of know. In case you're wondering (and I know you are, unless you've looked it up yourself already) "ardipithecus" refers to a collection of ancient bones, or, as Willow so eloquently explained to Fader magazine:
Aripithecus Ramidus is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth. I wanted to name my musical compilation after it because while I was making these songs, I was in such a transitional state. Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories.
Wow. Okay. So when I was 15, I was still trying to figure out how to apply foundation. But she's a fully self-aware and spiritually in-tune human. That's fine.
Other notable words and phrases that I now have a vague understanding of courtesy of Willow include: "obelisk," "akashic records," "labradorite," and "merkabah." If you know even one of these words, consider yourself leagues ahead of me and light years behind the product of Will and Jada's love. She also casually mentions the sixth dimension a few times throughout the album. A concept I too completely understand.
Besides undermining my own intelligence and forcing me to contemplate what the hell I'm going to accomplish in this lifetime that even remotely compares to what Willow has created with "Ardipthecus", her album also genuinely inspires me. From the first line, "Classification and organization is ruining the minds of our generation," to her proclamation "I'm not an investment, you have no control over me" in "Not So Different," Willow clearly knows what she's talking about. She stays true to herself and won't mess with the societal pressures and expectations she doesn't want to conform to. I wish my 15-year-old self would have had that mentality, and I'm so happy that Willow seems to. In addition to being a stellar source of entertainment, this album reminds me to be true to myself. Only then will I be able to create something truly exceptional.
Also, let's be honest. Willow and her family are totally in the Illuminati, and we should look to them for guidance in all things.
