Will Smith Does Ozzfest

OK, not really, but he's there. America's favorite ex-rapper, Mr. Will Smith is traveling on this year's Ozzfest. Why? His wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith is the lead singer of a "metal" band called Wicked Wisdom who is playing the second stage daily. Sigh. You know where this is going & it's gonna be ugly. So first, let's briefly talk about Ozzfest. 3/4ths of the performers on the 2nd (smaller) stage have to pay Sharon/Ozzy/Ozzfest Inc. the sum of $100,000 for the privilege of playing. Sound like a good deal? On the surface it seems like perhaps it could be worth it for the exposure (it doesn't to me, but someone's gotta play Devil's Advocate), but your money could be better spent on a publicist for a couple of years for that dough. The "second" stage starts at 9:30am, so whoever plays first (The Haunted the day I went) gets no new audience. Aside from whether or not it's a good idea to pay the money to play, Ozzfest has spots that are coveted by metal bands, new and old.

Enter Ms. Smith, who has an advantage being a celebrity married to an A-List celebrity. I'm sure she wouldn't dream of starting at the bottom, the way most of these bands did, actually earning a spot on one of the largest metal festivals in the world, or just touring with smaller bands first and establishing some credibility. There is such a thing as gaining respect. Wait, apparently Wicked Wisdom HAS toured. The last long tour they had was supporting Britney Spears in Europe, although they were a "pop" band then... Swell. Now, can we go back to the word respect again? Sorry, Aretha. If you are really a METAL band, then why support Britney Spears? And if you're not, well, then why get on Ozzfest...? Exposure could be the answer, but you're jumping from genre to genre and will never get a fanbase that way. Perhaps metal is now seen as a lucrative market. After all, MTV has been paying attention to this band & we all know that MTV doesn't really cover music anymore. Wicked Wisdom does not even have a cd out... THIS is a world class metal band? Talk about jumping to the head of class, sheesh. For shame, Jada, for shame! This little bit of info has a silver lining though: the metal fans don't buy it for a minute. The reviews talk about Jada being a lousy vocalist likened to a "moody gothic teenager". Wicked Wisdom has been getting booed every day at the festival I am told, and Jada's been barking "fuck you" at the crowd over & over again. Nothing personal, but metal fans are picky; REALLY picky. They can tell a poseur a mile away. My gut tells me Wicked Wisdom will wilt by the end of Ozzfest & maybe we won't see them anymore, unless Cher tours again. On the other hand, perhaps all the publicity they are generating will help some of the other smaller bands on the 2nd stage: Black Dahlia Murder, Mastodon, Arch Enemy & the Ozzfest "battle of the bands" contest winner, A Dozen Furies.

Comments

[Bruce]

My Neighbor from across the street saw the opening dates in boston. He said about Mrs Smith band that the boos started once they took the stage and did not end for the whole set. Were not talking about a few heckles here and there, he was describing it like a tidal wave of boos, just getting louder and louder.

[squinchy]

Wait...If the Fresh Prince can become a actor, why can't Jada form a metal band? I think it's kind of cool, of all things to do, of all the musical forms she could have dabbled in, that she chose metal. That's assuming the choice was hers and not some cokehead agent's ("we gotta penetrate the angry white teenager market--go start a metal band!")
Anyway I can dig that it's not cool she's starting at the top, but it's just so weird that I find it perversely fascinating....

[$mall ¢hange]

squinchy writes:

Wait...If the Fresh Prince can become a actor, why can't Jada form a metal band?

think about what you're saying here...what kind of movies is he doing? Mostly big budget hollyweird tripe. He's not representing any real underground in film or music these days. So of course if Jada is trying to do something hard, or underground, people aren't going to buy it just because she bought space on the on 2nd stage. In any kind of underground scene, especially hardcore shit like metal, etc, people don't give a fuck about who you are, your shit just has to come tight.

So any celebrity that just comes outta nowhere, with no dues paid, no real street cred, friggin' opening up for brittany spears?! etc, is going to get hated on from the purists, and deservedly so. Its a disrespect to the scene and the number of unknown bands who have been in the trenches for years, and deserve a billing like that, but don't have the connections or the money.

Look I don't know shit about metal, but that ain't metal. That's ozzie taking some celebrity cash to fuel the tour, and jada making a bad career move. Stick to the musical cheese and 'People' photo shoots, where mofos won't hate on you.

$¢

[Death Messiah]

Well, I went to this years ozzfest just yesterday, and i saw Wicked Wisdom there. The crowd didn't boo them at all, people actually did like them. I did too, i couldnt really hear the vocals that much, considering I was getting my ass kicked in the mosh pit. But still, they arent bad at all. I think people say the band sucks because 1. shes a woman and 2. shes married to Will. As for me, I like bands with women singers, Arch Enemy is one of my favorite bands. I just think people are trying to be assholes and not appreciate her just because her vocals arent as heavy as others

[Head]

Just the fact that she was openning for britney shows how not metal that band is. I hope everybody at Ozzfest boo their asses off. Is simply not fair that some hollywood crap gets a spot at the ozzfest because she got money. I`m really dissapointed at Sahron or whoever is managing the ozzfest. Who is gonna be next, lindsay lohan o Hillary duff, it`s so patethic, ozzfest is suppose to be the biggest metal fest of the whole world not some way for pop starts to conquer markets. They don`t even have a record for godsake!!!!!!!

[John Cha]

Dear God, get yourself a life. Wicked Wisdom is playing Ozzfest and yur not. Pretty transparent whine and cheese fest you got there.

[Max]

yeah, wicked wisdom is playing ozzfest, okay John Cha - decent point. Except your forgetting the fact that she paid up to HOW much to play on that fucking stage? Unlike Arch Enemy or Mastadon, who for them losing 100,000 is a shitload - Jada probably wipes her ass with that much money every morning.

[rabid panda]

first of all, arch enemy, black dahlia and mastodon are MAJOR metal bands. second of all, wicked wisdom has a cd (and suprisingly it aint so bad. finally, if youre gonna criticize wicked wisdom for once being a pop band, think about korn who calls themselves metal but they are far as hell from it. finally nothings wrong wit a moody goth teenager sound...proof being lacuna coil. and finally, metal is in the sound not the personal history. to be hardcore on the other hand... even though its pretty disgraceful to ozzfest, its a solid band and they do have a cd so no objections

[bow to the cow]

all you metal dorks are forgeting something: if wicked wisdom actually did suck major balls, do you think they'd be allowed to play at ozzfest in the first place? irregardless of how much money ms smith could throw at them, their music had to pass muster to begin with ... ok, they're no strapping young lad
in terms of their status as an emerging artist, but someone was impressed enough to allow then onboard, and that's gotta account for something.

another thing i find funny is this reverence for the metal pedegre purity of the fest ... funny because of the obvious fact that the ever so clever ms osbourne is plainly juicing her drug addled hubbys legacy for every dine and media mention she can. you wanna talk about selling out and going mainstream, look no further then sharon osbourne, that lady is the all about loving being famous the way she promotes and exploits not only ozzy, but her entire family, now.

[rachee]

# 1 - lacuna coil as talent, and should not be compared to wicked wisdom. therefore i dont beleive peoples issues with the band has anything to do with her being a girl.

# 2 - i think the attitude jada has towards wicked wisdom is disgraceful if, i repeat IF, she thinks that she can come off of a britney tour & think she can pay her way into the ozzfest, just becuase hmmmm she feels like trying out metal.

# 3 - there not great, and i think they needs to gain respect and build there rep the real way, cus what there doing now is only hurting them anyway.

# 4 - i think everyone has to remember THEY ARE A BAND, dont trash them just because you dont like there vocalist.

not saying there good
not saying there poser
but eiither way it would not be right to shit on the band because you dont like jada. so know your shit before you talk it, & that should be a pretty neutral statment

& finally # 5... dont trash sharon.

[Alan]

I think you all are fucking retarded, honestly. First of all, the genre of "metal" is ever so expanding and vague. Metal does not have to represent head banging, agressive musical, actually the roots of metal develope from the roots of classical as all contemporary pop,rock,metal and some jazz do. So, just because she is a women and she had alot of money to get to the top, she is horrible ? I think most people would take the high road if given the change. Do I like Wicked Wisdom ? No, I think they are absolute shit with off key vocals and lame ass repetitive riffs that all stay in 4.

Although, all the points you guys are making is very close-minded, who the fuck cares if she played with Brittney Spears, if the music is good, then so be it, if not, then also so be it. I bet all of you have either no musical inclination, or you do but you have never played anything other than a local show. To play out anywhere and get exposure is an honor, and that tour most likley allowed her to fund the money for Ozzfest (which in my opinion is a pussy version of Waken.) Case closed.

[Alan]

I think you all are fucking retarded, honestly. First of all, the genre of "metal" is ever so expanding and vague. Metal does not have to represent head banging, agressive musical, actually the roots of metal develope from the roots of classical as all contemporary pop,rock,metal and some jazz do. So, just because she is a women and she had alot of money to get to the top, she is horrible ? I think most people would take the high road if given the change. Do I like Wicked Wisdom ? No, I think they are absolute shit with off key vocals and lame ass repetitive riffs that all stay in 4.

Although, all the points you guys are making is very close-minded, who the fuck cares if she played with Brittney Spears, if the music is good, then so be it, if not, then also so be it. I bet all of you have either no musical inclination, or you do but you have never played anything other than a local show. To play out anywhere and get exposure is an honor, and that tour most likley allowed her to fund the money for Ozzfest (which in my opinion is a pussy version of Waken.) Case closed.