It should've come as NO SURPRISE when Willow Smith bust out onto the music scene with her single "Whip My Hair," that the 9 year old has talent. I mean look at her parents? Hello! Will Smith + Jada Pinkett-Smith (not to mention older brother Jaden). Of course Willow was going to be talented. It just had to be. After appearances in I Am Legend and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, it looked as if Willow would be headed in the same career direction as her parents and older brother. Not so, apparently. Perhaps taking after her father, whose musical career spanned from the mid 80s all the way to 2005, Willow dropped a single. Whatever prompted Willow Smith to record this AMAZING little song, I'm glad she did. It's just so damn catchy! I haven't had hair in 5 years but I'm whippin' it back and forth all the same!
What REALLY makes this song for me is the AMAZING Ray Kay-directed video. One can't help but think about Willow's age while watching/listening to this song. 9 freakin' years old? Sure, the video is a little provocative in that regard. Smith isn't really wearing anything TOO too risque, although she is wearing A LOT of makeup...more makeup than any 9 year old NOT part of the pageant circuit should be wearing. The song features Smith in a futuristic cafeteria of some kind, making an entrance with a CRAZY tall hairpiece and a boom-box filled with paint. She lets her hair down, dips her braids into the paint and THEN the party begins. I'll just tell you this much...she whips her hair back and forth. Cool visuals and impressive choreography NOT to mention a catchy song ALL help make the "Whip My Hair" video an instant classic.
The song was released to radio on October 12th and was made available for downloads on October 26th. "Whip My Hair" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #78, and has peaked so far at #12 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was co-written by Smith herself alongside Jukebox, who also served as producer. Smith signed to Jay-Z's Columbia Records imprint, Roc Nation and will be releasing her debut album next year. Get "Whip My Hair" now on iTunes. This girl is destined to be a star.
Check out Willow Smith on the web: