Will Smith Freestyles Over “How We Do” and “Lean Back” in Throwback Freestyle

Tim Westwood went back ten years and unearthed a gem for throwback Thursday. Westwood posted a throwback freestyle today (March 31) in which Will Smith freestyles over the "How We Do" and "Lean Back" beats for a quick 3-minute cypher. By this time back in '05, Smith had positioned himself as a certified Hollywood star, starring in Independence Day, Men in Black, and Bad Boys. In the opening verse Smith flows over Dr. Dre's "How We Do" beat, pokes fun at his fame and assures the big movie checks haven't deterred him from his first love of rapping.

"For years, I've been trying to rip rhymes and get mine/Spit lines, hot like lava/This time I don't got a sitcom to bother with/Or a time conflict with my Sci-Fi hits/I'm concentrating on making hits/And I'm contemplating each statement's width/And I'm fitting them, line by line/Teeth, I'm gritting them/Trying to find the perfect rhyme I'm scheming, I'm dreaming."

As his flow switches at around the 1:15 mark for the famous Scott Storch "Lean Back" beat, Big Willie is even more furious with his punchlines while still maintaining his lighthearted demeanor.

In the Soundcloud bio, Westwood gives a shout out to DJ Jazzy Jeff for being in the studio during the time of this recording. It was just this week that Will and Jeff celebrated the 28th anniversary of their debut album He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper, and though they're some ten odd years removed from the current rap game, the Philly duo reported late last year that they have plans to reunite for a tour in the summer of 2016. DJ Jazzy Jeff even said a new album is “ready to go” back in November. This certainly wouldn't be the first time Will made a quick comeback to the hip-hop world.

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