Nothing that Jaden Smith has ever done, at least where his music career is concerned, has been typical. For the most part, he eschews trend and tradition and seems to be focused primarily on creating material that is not only unique, but also something that could potentially serve as an influence. That vibe was present in every fiber of his latest long-form release, SYRE, an album that feels as though it was made as much for his own self-discovery as it was to aid the listener with his or hers. To help promote the new project, the rapper took to Reddit and fielded questions from the site's users in the latest installment of their AMA series. He was bombarded with several interesting queries, perhaps none more so than when a fan asked him what it's like to hang with Frank Ocean.
It had been rumored that he and Ocean had been tight for some time, spending time together both inside and outside of the studio. When asked to describe what it's like being in the singer's presence on the regular, Smith gave a real answer: "It Makes Me Nervous To Hang Out With Him, Cause He Is Too Talented," he said. It would make sense that Jaden Smith would be in awe of a creator like Ocean who, much like himself, has aspirations to go against the grain of what's popular and focus on making music that appeals almost solely to them and their fan bases.
Smith sort of touched on this as well, when another user asked him if it was going to be difficult to make fulfilling music down the road, given his abnormal life growing up so far. "I Make Music About Personal Experience," he replied. "Not To Try To Fit In." A closer look at SYRE will tell you as much, with the bulk of the project carrying some very personal anecdotes and undertones. Overall, Smith seems like a person who is content to let his actions do the talking, instead of spouting response videos on social media like many of his contemporaries are prone to do. As an example, when someone asked him how he plans to help curb the misogynistic tone that hip-hop continues to have difficulty shaking, his answer was simple: actions speak louder than words.
Elsewhere in the AMA, Jaden Smith continued to respond to questions from fans about which Kanye album he prefers between 808's and Yeezus, what his (not-so) guilty pleasure might be and, of course, where he got that white Batman suit. Check out out some of those answers and more below.
