Lost and Found (Will Smith album)

Lost and Found
Studio album by Will Smith
Released	March 29, 2005
Recorded	2004–2005
Studio	The Boom Boom Room (Burbank, California) The Studio (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) The Cutting Room (New York City, New York) 1020 Sound Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Crescent Moon Studios (Miami, Florida)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	55:05
Label	Interscope
Producer	Omarr "O. Banga" Rambert (also exec.) The Freshmen Treezah Hotrunner DJ Jazzy Jeff Polow da Don Kwamé Jae Staxx JYP G1 DJ Twinz Eleet Beats Co P Mike Hype Tony Dofat
Will Smith chronology
Greatest Hits (2002) Lost and Found (2005)
Singles from Lost and Found
"Switch" Released: February 15, 2005 "Party Starter" Released: August 2, 2005

Lost and Found is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper Will Smith. Recorded with a range of producers, including The Freshmen and Omarr "O. Banga" Rambert, it was released on March 29, 2005 by Interscope Records. The album reached number 6 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, making this Smith's third overall top ten album following Willennium in 1999 and his second gold-selling album following Born to Reign in 2002. The album also reached the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart. "Switch" and "Party Starter" were released as singles.

Recording and production

The majority of recording for Lost and Found took place at The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, with additional sessions at The Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Cutting Room in New York City, New York, 1020 Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and Crescent Moon Studios in Miami, Florida.^[1] Almost all songs on the album were produced or co-produced by The Freshmen, or individual member Troy "Treezah" Johnson, with executive producer Omarr "O. Banga" Rambert producing much of Smith's vocals; DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kwamé, and more also contributed to production.^[1]

Composition

Writing a review of the album for the website AllMusic, Andy Kellman claimed that the lyrics on Lost and Found contribute to "the least party-oriented album Smith has made", blaming the poor sales performance of previous album Born to Reign and criticism by other rappers and radio personalities for making Smith "a little bitter".^[2] PopMatters writer Mike Schiller identifies a similar tone on the album, noting that Smith is "surprisingly confrontational" on much of the record, targeting subjects such as rap radio and other hip hop artists.^[3] Rolling Stone writer Christian Hoard noted that the lyrics on the album feature "lots of self-deprecating humor".^[4]

Promotion and release

The release of Lost and Found was preceded by the single "Switch" in February 2005, which gave Smith his first US Billboard Hot 100 top ten since "Wild Wild West" in 1999.^[5] "Switch" was also successful internationally, reaching the top ten on a number of regional charts including the UK Singles Chart.^[6] "Party Starter" was the second and final single released from the album, reaching the top 20 in the UK.^[6]

Critical reception

Commercial

Lost and found debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 98,000 copies in its first week.^[7] The album reached number four on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[8] Outside of the US, it reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, and also reached the top 20 in Germany.^[9]

Critical

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[10]
Entertainment Weekly[11]	B+
The Guardian[12]
PopMatters[3]	7/10
Rolling Stone[4]
The Village Voice[13]	Unfavorable

Media response to Lost and Found was mixed; aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalized rating of 50, based on 10 critical reviews, indicating "Mixed or average reviews".^[12] Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a B+ rating, describing it as "packed with the sort of undeniable pleasures only the most churlish thug could deny".^[11] Andy Kellman of AllMusic described it as "an entertaining and thoughtful album for young kids and their parents to listen to and talk about",^[2] while PopMatters' Mike Schiller praised Lost and Found as a return to form for Smith, but noted that his audience had likely dwindled by the time of the album's release.^[3]

Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone noted that while the album features "plenty of up-to-date beats", Lost and Found is let down by the fact that Smith does not have "a commanding presence" on many of the songs, which Hoard claimed made the rapper "utterly unconvincing" and "fast running out of steam".^[4] A review in The Guardian simply concluded that "[Smith's] decision to stray from his usual blend of impish party tunes and extended jingles for the latest summer blockbuster constitutes one of the most ill-advised career moves since MC Hammer went gangsta".^[12] Greg Tate of The Village Voice dubbed Lost and Found "the lamest album that'll be released this year", describing Smith's style as "imitation hip-hop".^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Here He Comes" (performed by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince)	Will Smith Troy Johnson Jeff Townes J. Robert Harris Paul Francis Webster	DJ Jazzy Jeff The Freshmen^[a]	2:20
2.	"Party Starter"	Smith Christopher Bridges Jamal Jones	Polow da Don Treezah^[a] O. Banga^[b]	4:09
3.	"Switch"	Smith Kwamé Holland Lennie Bennett	Kwamé Banga^[b]	3:17
4.	"Mr. Niceguy"	Smith Johnson	The Freshmen	2:21
5.	"Ms. Holy Roller"	Smith Johnson Antônio Pinto Ed Cortes	The Freshmen	3:39
6.	"Lost & Found"	Smith Johnson Ronald Jackson D. Lewis	The Freshmen Banga^[b]	4:16
7.	"Tell Me Why" (featuring Mary J. Blige)	Smith Armique Wyche Johnson	Jae Staxx Banga	4:29
8.	"I Wish I Made That/Swagga"	"I Wish I Made That": Smith Johnson "Swagga": Smith Johnson Jackson Omarr Rambert Bennett	"I Wish I Made That": The Freshmen JYP^[a] "Swagga": The Freshmen Banga^[b]	4:16
9.	"Pump Ya Brakes" (featuring Snoop Dogg)	Smith Rambert Calvin Broadus Bennett Johnson Jackson	The Freshmen Banga	3:34
10.	"If U Can't Dance (Slide)" (featuring Nicole Scherzinger)	Smith Johnson	The Freshmen Banga^[b]	4:03
11.	"Could U Love Me"	Smith George Archie	G1 Banga^[b]	2:50
12.	"Loretta"	Smith Johnson	The Freshmen	4:55
13.	"Wave Em Off"	Smith Rambert Bennett Richard Grant Raymond Grant Edward Ellington Juan Tizol	DJ Twinz	3:31
14.	"Scary Story"	Smith Terrance Lovelace Ernest Gold Emmanuel Okon	Hotrunner Eleet Beats Treezah^[c]	3:39
15.	"Switch" (...R&B remix, featuring Robin Thicke)	Smith Holland Bennett	Co P Banga	4:45
16.	"Switch" (...Reggae remix, featuring Elephant Man (hidden track))	Smith Holland Bennett	Banga	3:51
Total length:				55:05

European bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Coming to the Stage" (includes hidden track "Switch" (reggae remix) featuring Elephant Man)	Smith Lovelace Michael Edwards	Hotrunners Mike Hype Treezah^[c]	8:10
Total length:				63:15

European special edition bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Coming to the Stage"	Smith Lovelace Edwards	Hotrunners Hype Treezah^[c]	4:22
17.	"We Won't" (includes hidden track "Switch" (reggae remix) featuring Elephant Man)	Smith Tony Dofat Bennett	Dofat Banga^[b]	8:35
Total length:				68:02

Notes^[1]

• ^{^a} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^b} signifies a vocal producer
• ^{^c} signifies an additional producer
• "Party Starter" features vocals by Jorge Maciel.
• "Tell Me Why" features vocals by Tye Tribbett and G.A.
• "Pump Ya Brakes" features vocals by O. Banga.
• "Could U Love Me" features vocals by Andre Merritt.
• "Loretta" features vocals by Kelli Price.
• "Scary Story" features vocals by Willow Smith.
• "Coming to the Stage" and "We Won't" feature vocals by DJ Kool.

Sample credits^[1]

• "Here He Comes" contains elements of "Spider-Man", written by J. Robert Harris and Paul Francis Webster.
• "Ms. Holy Roller" contains samples of "Estoria da Boca", written by Antônio Pinto and Ed Cortes.
• "Wave Em Off" contains samples of "Caravan", written by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, and performed by Rhythm Heritage.
• "Scary Story" contains samples of "Exodus", written by Ernest Gold.

Personnel

Personnel credits adapted from liner notes.^[1]

Treezah – recording (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15 and 16), various instruments (tracks 4, 8 – "I Wish I Made That" only – and 12), piano (track 7), guitar (track 13), bass (track 14) Pete Novak – recording (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16 and 17) Kevin Davis – mixing (tracks 3, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16 and 17) Dave Pensado – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 12) Larry Gold – string arrangements (tracks 1, 6 and 7) Dylan Margerum – recording (tracks 3 and 13) DJ Jazzy Jeff – scratches (tracks 9 and 10) Jukebox – beatboxing (track 1)

Mike Hartnett – guitar and bass (track 2) Donnie Scantz – keyboards (track 2) Brian Golder – recording (track 7) Raphael Saadiq – guitar (track 11) G1 – mixing (track 11) James Mellow Clarke – bass and keyboards (track 13) Tony Dofat – various instruments (track 17) Alfred – recording (track 17)

Chart positions

Chart	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14]	30
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15]	44
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[16]	76
French Albums (SNEP)[17]	103
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9]	14
Italian Albums (FIMI)[18]	31
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[19]	92
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	35
UK Albums (OCC)[6]	15
US Billboard 200[21]	6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8]	4

References

1. Lost and Found (Media notes). Will Smith. Interscope Records. 2005.
2. Kellman, Andy. "Lost and Found - Will Smith". AllMusic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
3. Schiller, Mike (April 21, 2005). "Will Smith: Lost and Found". PopMatters. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
4. Hoard, Christian (April 21, 2005). "Lost and Found: Will Smith: Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 28, 2005. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
5. "Will Smith Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Hot 100 for Will Smith. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
6. "Will Smith | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved April 19, 2015.
7. Whitmire, Margo (2005-04-06). "50's 'Massacre' Staves Off Beck's 'Guero'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
8. "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Will Smith. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
9. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
10. "Review: Lost and Found". Blender. Vol. June 2005. p. 115.
11. Sinclair, Tom (April 11, 2005). "Lost and Found". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
12. "Critic Reviews for Lost and Found". Metacritic. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
13. Tate, Greg (May 3, 2005). "Signifying Nada". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
14. "Austriancharts.at – Will Smith – Lost And Found" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
15. "Ultratop.be – Will Smith – Lost And Found" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Will Smith – Lost And Found" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
17. "Lescharts.com – Will Smith – Lost And Found". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
18. "Italiancharts.com – Will Smith – Lost And Found". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
19. "Spanishcharts.com – Will Smith – Lost And Found". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
20. "Swisscharts.com – Will Smith – Lost And Found". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
21. "Will Smith – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Will Smith. Retrieved April 19, 2015.

External links

• Lost and Found at Discogs (list of releases)