Page 31 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper
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Dana Goodman was not pleased to see them go; after all,
he was the one who had given them their first break.
However, Smith and Townes wanted to reach a bigger
audience and achieve a higher level of success, and they
believed they had to move on.9
They again teamed up with their human beat box, Clate
Holmes, or Ready Rock-C. In 1987 the trio released Rock the
House, an albumnamed after one of its songs. “Rock the House”
was written by Clate Holmes. The songs on Rock the House are
similar in style to “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” which is
also included on the album. They are light and humorous and
touch on topics that all teenagers can understand, regardless of
their race or religion or whether they are rich or poor.
Will and Jeff ’s songs on Rock the House differed from
those of hard-edged rappers in another notable way. Gangsta
rappers often brag about themselves, rapping about their
success with women. In his songs, Will often made himself
the butt of the joke.
One of the songs on Rock the House, “Guys Ain’t Nothing
But Trouble,” was performed by a female rapper. Will said they
included it for fun, but some critics believed it was meant as
an answer to the charges of sexism. Another number, “Just
One of Those Days,” talks about getting in trouble at school
and about car problems. “Just Rockin” is about a teenager who
plays his sound system so loud that the neighbors complain to
his parents. The album’s title song, “Rock the House,” is about
entertaining at a party. In some of the songs, the rappers thank
Dana Goodman for giving them their first break.