Page 79 - Will Smith: A Biography of a Rapper Turned Movie Star

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write an album full of profane records. But that’s way too
easy. I challenge profane rappers to do what I do—write
an album full of non-profane records.” 16
Despite the album’s more serious material, the first
single from Willennium was a lighthearted number, “Will
2K.” This fun song about the excitement of waiting for the
year 2000 became a moderate hit.
In the entertainment business, Smith was by now in
the big leagues. Like the athletes in the major leagues,
stars must be thick-skinned. Smith was about to be tested.
Early in 2000, he learned that he was the so-called winner
of a Razzie award.
For the Razzies in 2000, Wild, Wild West was selected
as the worst movie of 1999. Will Smith and Kevin Kline
were named the worst screen couple. And even though the
movie’s title song had won Smith another Grammy Award
and earned a Gold Record for selling five hundred
thousand copies, it was chosen for a Razzie as the worst
original song from a movie. Needless to say, neither Smith
nor Klein came to the Razzie ceremony. Instead, Robert
Conrad, who had played James T. West in the old television
series, showed up to accept the award. Sarcastically, he
said, “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.”17
In spite of the terrible things critics said about Wild,
Wild West, it still attracted enough moviegoers to make a
profit. Plenty of people went to see it—and Smith was not
about to let one critical failure set him back. He continued
taking risks.