Syre (album)

Syre (stylized as SYRE and SYRE: A Beautiful Confusion[2][3][4][5]) is the debut studio album by American rapper Jaden Smith. It was released on November 17, 2017, through MSFTSMusic and Roc Nation under the partnership between Interscope Records and Republic Records. The album debuted at number 24 on the U.S. Billboard 200 for the chart dated December 9, 2017.[6] It features appearances from ASAP Rocky and Raury, along with additional vocals from Kevin Abstract, Pia Mia, and Jaden’s sister Willow Smith.

Syre
Studio album by
Jaden Smith
ReleasedNovember 17, 2017 (2017-11-17)
Recorded2014–2017[1]
Length70:29
Label
Producer
Jaden Smith chronology
This Is the Album
(2015)		 Syre
(2017)		 Syre: The Electric Album
(2018)
Singles from Syre
  1. "Fallen"
    Released: December 5, 2016
  2. "Batman"
    Released: July 14, 2017
  3. "Watch Me"
    Released: July 14, 2017
  4. "Falcon"
    Released: November 16, 2017
  5. "Icon"
    Released: November 17, 2017

Background

The album was teased after the release of Jaden's music video for "Fallen" back in December 2016.[7] The album title is a reference to his full name Jaden Christopher Syre Smith.[8] In an interview with Complex about the album title, Jaden said that:

Syre really just came to me one day. I didn’t know what I was going to call the album, but one day it really really came. I don’t know what happened. It was like a switch—from one second to another, my whole life switched. I realized that Syre was the answer, what I had to move forward with. People love to just talk about me by name and say, "Oh, Jaden Smith this, Jaden Smith that." It’s time for a new awakening and a new consciousness. Anybody who thinks they know me, this album is something completely different from what they think.[1]

Promotion

Following the announcement of the release date for Syre, Smith posted twelve visuals, including seven videos, to Instagram, forming the project's artwork when the thumbnails are viewed together. The center post is a video captioned, "The Syre Movie Trailer. Score By Ricky Eat Acid," and the other six videos are song teasers that conclude with title cards featuring the track names.[9][10]

Singles

"Fallen" was released as the lead single from the album on December 5, 2016.[7][11][12]

"Batman" and "Watch Me" were released as the album's second and third single respectively on July 14, 2017.[13][14][15][16]

"Falcon" was released as the album's fourth single on November 16, 2017.[17] The song features a guest appearance from American singer Raury.[18]

"Icon" was released as the album's fifth single on November 17, 2017, along with an accompanied music video. The song features background vocals from Will Smith.[19] An official remix of the song featuring American singer-rapper Nicky Jam, with an accompanied music video was released on May 25, 2018.[20]

Composition

Talking to Vanity Fair, Smith said that Syre was inspired by Kanye West's The Life of Pablo and Frank Ocean's Blonde.[3] Syre has been compared to a musical with multiple characters with the main character Syre being played by Jaden Smith as Syre experiences sadness, anger and regret following the breakdown of a relationship[21] with references to Adam and Eve[22] and the myth of Icarus.[23] The album, which is over an hour long,[24] chronicles the coming of age of the character, Syre. Speaking on the character, Smith said “It's really just become a legacy of this guy, this kid, who chases the sunset – and then one day, it chases him back and he can't get away – it really is the story of me coming to be a young adult, and it wasn't easy at all."[25] The story also has mentions of Smith's personal life with a song dedicated to his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Snyder[21] and his failure to dissociate with his father's fame.[26]

The album is "full of soaring harmonies and dark, moody production"[27] and combines "folk, metal, ‘70s rock, Christian pop and Detroit techno" with NME comparing it to putting a Spotify playlist on shuffle.[22]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[28]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[29]
Exclaim!8/10[30]
HipHopDX4.1/5[31]
HotNewHipHop60%[32]
The Post[33]
NME[34]
Pitchfork5.1/10[35]
Salute[36]

Syre received generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release, At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on six reviews.[28] A. Harmony of Exclaim! said, "Genre-fluid and dense, Jaden Smith's Roc Nation debut is a lot to process. SYRE changes shape in such a way that it plays like two distinct albums; it's a sonic playground, and Smith bounces from toy to toy, flexing his artistic muscle throughout."[30] Kyle Eustice of HipHopDX praised the album's creativity, production, and commended Jaden's stylistic progressions and improvement from his past releases.[31] In contrast, Pitchfork's Kevin Lozano criticized the rapping and lyrics, writing, "Full of chaotic beats and cringe-worthy lyrics, the debut studio album from Jaden Smith is a sophistic, paranoid fantasy that mixes new-age thinking with apocalyptic rhetoric."[35]

Commercial performance

In the United States, Syre debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 earning 20,000 album-equivalent units, with 3,000 coming from pure album sales.[37]

Track listing

Credits were adapted from Tidal.[38]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."B"
Lido3:06
2."L"
  • Smith
  • Losnegård
Lido2:23
3."U"
  • Smith
  • Losnegård
Lido4:45
4."E"
  • Smith
  • Losnegård
Lido3:23
5."Breakfast" (featuring ASAP Rocky)
  • Lewis
  • OmArr
3:04
6."Hope"
  • Smith
  • Losnegård
Lido6:00
7."Falcon" (featuring Raury)
Suby3:43
8."Ninety"
  • Smith
  • Losnegård
Lido7:48
9."Lost Boy"
  • Smith
  • Mateo Arias
  • Rambert
  • Josiah Bell
  • Teo
  • OmArr
  • Bell
9:29
10."Batman"
3:04
11."Icon"
  • Smith
  • Lewis
  • Rambert
  • Lewis
  • OmArr
3:40
12."Watch Me"
  • Smith
  • Rambert
  • Winfrey
  • Young Fyre
  • OmArr[a]
2:34
13."Fallen"
  • Smith
  • T. Thompson
IQ4:22
14."The Passion"
4:29
15."George Jeff"
  • Smith
  • Rambert
  • Winfrey
  • OmArr
  • Young Fyre
2:17
16."Rapper"
  • Smith
  • Kevin Jacoutot
Wonderlust2:20
17."Syre"Smith
3:54
Total length:70:21

Notes

Sample credits

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] 80
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[41] 32
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[42] 63
French Albums (SNEP)[43] 142
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[44] 33
UK Albums (OCC)[45] 85
US Billboard 200[46] 24
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[47] 10

References
  1. "Exclusive: Jaden Smith Drops "Icon" Video and Explains Why It Took 3 Years to Make 'SYRE'". Complex. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  2. "Stream Jaden Smith's New Album, 'SYRE: A Beautiful Confusion'". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  3. Adler, Dan. "Jaden Smith Wants to Make Sure He's Understood". Vanities. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  4. "Jaden Smith's SYRE: A Beautiful Confusion - VASHTIE". VASHTIE. 2017-11-27. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  5. "Jaden Smith announces release date for SYRE". The FADER. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  6. "Billboard 200 – December 9, 2017". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  7. "Watch Jaden Smith Destroy a Pair of Rare Nikes in His New Music Video". GQ. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  8. "Listen to Jaden Smith's 'Syre' Album". XXL. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  9. "Jaden Smith announces release date for SYRE". The Fader. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  10. "Jaden Smith Reveals Surprise 'SYRE' Project on Instagram". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  11. "Jaden Smith's New Music Video Looks Like "Westworld" Season 2". Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  12. "Watch Jaden Smith Stumble Around A Ghost Town In New "Fallen" Video". The Fader. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  13. "Jaden Smith Announces New Single "Batman"". Rap-Up. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  14. "Batman - Single by Jaden Smith on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  15. "Jaden Smith Has Our Full Attention in 'Watch Me' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  16. "Watch Me - Single by Jaden Smith on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  17. "Falcon (feat. Raury) - Single by Jaden Smith on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  18. "Jaden Smith Teams Up With Raury On New Song "Falcon"". XXL. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  19. "Jaden Smith Fronts Gold Chains & Grills In "Icon" Video". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  20. "Jaden Smith - Icon (Remix) ft. Nicky Jam (Official Video)". May 24, 2018.
  21. "Jaden Smith - SYRE - Album Review". HipHopSharks. Archived from the original on 2018-02-16. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  22. "Jaden Smith – 'Syre' Album Review – NME". NME. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  23. "Jaden Smith: SYRE Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  24. SYRE by Jaden Smith on Apple Music, 2017-11-17, retrieved 2018-02-15
  25. "Jaden Smith Talks Impressive Debut Album 'SYRE', Why He Wants To Be Like Elon Musk & More". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  26. "Album Review: Jaden Smith – SYRE | The Mancunion". mancunion.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  27. http://hiphopdx.com, HipHopDX -. "Review: Jaden Smith's Creativity Bathes In Complexity On "SYRE"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  28. "Reviews and Tracks for Syre by Jaden Smith". Metacritic. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  29. Yeung, Neil Z. "SYRE – Jaden Smith". AllMusic. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  30. Harmony, A. (November 21, 2017). "Jaden Smith Syre". Exclaim!. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  31. Eustice, Kyle (November 17, 2017). "Jaden Smith "SYRE" Album Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  32. Robles, Julian (November 23, 2017). "Jaden Smith "SYRE" Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  33. Greenlee, Chuck (November 19, 2017). "Album Review: Jaden Smith reframes himself through 'SYRE'". The Post. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  34. Milton, Jamie (November 20, 2017). "Jaden Smith – 'Syre' Review". NME. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  35. Lozano, Kevin (November 20, 2017). "Jaden Smith: SYRE Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  36. Offner, Daniel (November 24, 2017). "Review: Jaden Smith's Introspective Debut Album 'SYRE'". Salute Magazine. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  37. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Jaden Smith & PnB Rock Make Modest Billboard 200 Debuts". Hip Hop DX. November 27, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
  38. "Syre / Jaden Smith Tidal". Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  39. "Pia Mia Teams Up With Jaden and Willow Smith On New Song 'B". MTV. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  40. "Ultratop.be – Jaden Smith – Syre" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  41. "Jaden Smith Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  42. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jaden Smith – Syre" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  43. "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums – SNEP (Week 47, 2017)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  44. "Charts.nz – Jaden Smith – Syre". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  45. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
  46. "Jaden Smith Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  47. "Jaden Smith Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
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