Ardipithecus
by Willow Smith
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 81 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 61 out of 81
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 81
  3. Negative: 13 out of 81
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  1. thaleslucas
    Jan 10, 2016
    10
    I've never ever really saw a teenager with a brilliant thought in music as Willow currently has now, since Björk, that's the truth.

    "Ardipithecus" is a different album for who expected something commercial by the eternal singer of the hit "Whip My Hair". The album deals with a confused mind looking for their spiritual ancestors, search for his own right / wrong and not about anything    I've never ever really saw a teenager with a brilliant thought in music as Willow currently has now, since Björk, that's the truth.

    "Ardipithecus" is a different album for who expected something commercial by the eternal singer of the hit "Whip My Hair". The album deals with a confused mind looking for their spiritual ancestors, search for his own right / wrong and not about anything that the old and hypocritical society imposes to the teenager ones. Willow at all times questions why is in this world full of oppression and heartbreak, organizing metaphors with personal reflections and even joining other characters that are part of her life, like Marceline from the cartoon "Adventure Time".

    Write and produce about 80% of the album alone is a challenge for someone by this age. Lorde, one of the most widely admired alternative artists, did the same with her debut album - but talking about things of her daily life.

    So here I ask: what's wrong with a girl seek their own inner peace, her love for the world and for herself, in her own religion and put it into her music? There's nothing wrong!!! So why people criticize so much rather to respect and enjoy the good and best of music? I really wanna know... Those are social patterns created by ignorants that make the world go to war and then here we have Willow seeking an answer for everything, for her own existence.

    Anyway... This is one of the best albums I've ever heard in my entire life. That's all at the moment.    … Expand
  2. nasin
    Feb 19, 2016
    8
    The thing I love about "Ardipithecus" is how different it is from everything else. Willow's obviously got a vision and she executes on it. Sure, some of the stuff sounds a little young and unpolished, but overall, it's quite beautiful. Her voice is wonderful. It's thoughtful, thought-provoking stuff.
  3. 003Filipe
    Jan 10, 2016
    10
    Give a low rating to an album so true and struggling as '' Ardipithecus '' gets to be pathetic. Just shows how much people are unprepared for new generation that is coming, smarter, more powerful, who has learned the same mistakes their parents and grandparents and full of new spiritualities. '' Ardipithecus '' is nothing more than a '' be welcome '' to my world, the world I'm creating.
  4. HoldOn
    Jan 10, 2016
    10
    Leave Willow alooooooooone!!! The album is so pretty and has so much feelings! Why white media need to be so prejudiced? She's just trying to find herself in music and in soul. Let Willow live her life!
  5. czesiaruda
    Jan 15, 2016
    10
    It's so powerful,so simple and so awesome. I love this album and it's definitely one of the best albums in 2015. People are saying that she is ''that '' Smith and that she's rich and popular. So what? She's talented and creative much more than 95% of celebrities. Give her a chance,you may be surprised.
  6. ibetyou
    Jan 10, 2016
    10
    Obviously a lot of negative criticism made for this album were based on image "a rich black teenager lost", but Willow doesn't need to prove anything to the world. It's like she says in "Marceline": "I'm sick of all of these humans telling me what to do, they make you stupid." People should feel the music, not just pon de play and pretend they know everything about life.

    The album is    Obviously a lot of negative criticism made for this album were based on image "a rich black teenager lost", but Willow doesn't need to prove anything to the world. It's like she says in "Marceline": "I'm sick of all of these humans telling me what to do, they make you stupid." People should feel the music, not just pon de play and pretend they know everything about life.

    The album is amazing, no other teen did something so powerful like this one!    … Expand
  7. arcanjo
    Jan 28, 2016
    8
    To me this album is full of personality, what is already a good ponit to a debut album. All track shine together, shoing a cohesive good work. Its not that impressive musically since experimentation is turning to be the "thing" of our generation but we can still say its impressive for the album, as a whole. its a very solid piece of work for a girl of her age.
  8. SoundOfAMan
    Jan 10, 2016
    10
    This album is on Rolling Stones' list "20 Best R&B Albums of 2015" and it's really a great album. Critic is mad to give a low note for this masterpiece!!!
  9. americanbeauty
    Jan 17, 2016
    7
    hinário, é tapete do ep, claro, mas ainda assim é maravilhoso. rainha, que só tem 15 anos e mesmo assim é mais madura que muitos artistas da indústria.
  10. mottaudt
    Feb 4, 2016
    0
    Wow.... Speechless. I highly recommend you do not listen to this "music". A couple of songs have promising melodies but apart from that it's really not worth wasting 54 minutes of your life.
  11. dustynesmith
    Jan 8, 2016
    0
    One of the most horrid pieces of pretentious garbage ever created. To make things worse, it's a big love letter to Avatar the movie. This person should not be allowed to make music.
  12. TalentlessHack
    Jan 9, 2016
    3
    Short review;

    I will at least give props to Willow Smith, the girl behind "Whip My Hair", for not going for the sounds most girls around her age tend to follow. Instead of catchy pop tunes, Smith plays around with more heavier experimental sounds. But when that experimentation gives us these "barren wasteland", dime a dozen soundscapes with angsty teen truthbombs, that will even    Short review;

    I will at least give props to Willow Smith, the girl behind "Whip My Hair", for not going for the sounds most girls around her age tend to follow. Instead of catchy pop tunes, Smith plays around with more heavier experimental sounds.

    But when that experimentation gives us these "barren wasteland", dime a dozen soundscapes with angsty teen truthbombs, that will even make Hopsin blush, thrown at us at rapid fire speeds, I just can't... I can't.

    At least Willow and her producer made sure that the album was somewhat listenable and cohesive. More so than a couple of other "left-field" projects that were released in 2015 that were absolutely despicable. *cough Cudi *cough Miley *cough

    Ardipithecus could have been so much more if Willow and her producer took some more time and effort in better songwriting and dynamics

    Fav Tracks: None
    Least Fav Tracks: That "My Generation"-track. It's the intro    … Expand
  13. rebelheart123
    Feb 21, 2016
    10
    Ameie sse álbum, não entendi porque os críticos não gostaram, me lembrou um pouco a voz FKA Twigs, porem mais agressiva, o álbum tem bastante inspiração de coisas relevantes, não é perfeito, mas é bom
  14. Divergente
    Aug 14, 2016
    7
    Pienso que fue uno de los mejores albumes del 2015. Merece más reconocimiento y valoración. A mi me gustó bastante. Hay un gran cambio entre lo que hacía previamente y este nuevo material.
  15. NETMUSIC
    Jun 18, 2017
    6
    Its a pretty good album, but its not great.

    Best Song(s):
    Why Don't You Cry
    Wait a Minute
    Natives of the Windy Forest

    Worst Song(s):
    Not so Different
    Cycles
    Idk
    F Q-C #8
  16. tokiohotelth
    Aug 16, 2018
    10
    this album is far one of the best albums i ever listen. my seccond fav from 2015. it is trancedental, pure art, pure love, pure feelings, and pure youth
  17. All_ButTrU4
    Aug 25, 2022
    4
    16 year old me loved this,had he been reviewing this it might have been a way different kinder story where i laided the songwriting or vocals and fawned over her philosophies but instead it's five years later and im unimpressed. This entire record is a laughably pretentious tedium. She uses a lot of words to say absolutely nothing, reminds me of my early years of writing poetry also how16 year old me loved this,had he been reviewing this it might have been a way different kinder story where i laided the songwriting or vocals and fawned over her philosophies but instead it's five years later and im unimpressed. This entire record is a laughably pretentious tedium. She uses a lot of words to say absolutely nothing, reminds me of my early years of writing poetry also how smart &smug it allowed me to feel. This record is an example of nepotism not negating giftedness, that is not to say willow is without talent because it's definitely there but her upbringing gave her platforns she was too immature to utilize singularly.

    Nevertheless the record is not without good moments such as the now tik tok viral "wait a minute" ,the fun adventure time inspired Marceline or existential IDK &dRugz(which had once been my anthems as I'd walk to school.) Those songs succeeded because her aspirations for verbosity are quited for interesting melodies and choruses:they sound like songs instead of spoken word with cheap beats (see:classification &organization)
    The production on this can be quite hit or miss but either way feels very rudimentary in skill throughout, although the effort is there such as on "not so different " and "natives of the windy Forrest "

    In conclusion this album is admirable for its ambition but absolutely rife with the folly of youth . Crowded with angsty teen truth bombs and self righteousness it can be very difficult not to roll your eyes a percentage of the time. The only reason i havent given it a 0 is because it had once meant a lot to me and thus holds a lot of inimitable nostalgia    … Expand
  18. Breno-Henrigue
    Jul 19, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Um album impecável que merecia mais atenção por parte da "crítica". INCRÍVEL… Expand
  19. weszcs
    Sep 4, 2019
    10
    Esse álbum é incrível, mostra a Willow mostrando os seus sentimentos e seus pontos de vista da vida de uma adolescente, não merecia a nota que tem no metascore
  20. fefe123
    Mar 7, 2021
    10
    This album is just...good. There’s nothing really to criticize. Just pop those headphones in and let Willow take you on a rideee!
  21. peixa_
    Apr 7, 2021
    10
    Esse é um dos melhores debuts desse século. Extremamente saboroso e íntimo. A crítica especializada pode lamber meu cuzão cheio de merda pela desfeita que fizeram com essa obra.
  22. miguelcstb
    Apr 7, 2022
    2
    I tried listening to this album more than once but it didn't convince me; and just like her brother's debut album "SYRE", "ARDIPITHECUS" is dull and long, very long. I feel like this could have been a little bit less terrible if she had made the track-list shorter. I was actually very excited to listen to this album as I enjoy alternative music so much, but listening to this album wasI tried listening to this album more than once but it didn't convince me; and just like her brother's debut album "SYRE", "ARDIPITHECUS" is dull and long, very long. I feel like this could have been a little bit less terrible if she had made the track-list shorter. I was actually very excited to listen to this album as I enjoy alternative music so much, but listening to this album was just disappointing. Some songs are boring, some should have been left out, and some others have unnecessary changes in the production that completely ruined the song for me.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Jan 13, 2016
    50
    So much of listening to Ardipithecus feels immeasurable by good or bad. Ardipithecus fails as a pop record, because it’s barely aware that it’s a part of that conversation.
    Read full review
  2. The New York Times
    Jan 8, 2016
    60
    This is a record that never stops threatening to be dull--in the way that Miley Cyrus’s record of mind-blurt autonomy from this year was dull--but rarely is, except when others try to streamline a lumpy aesthetic.
    Read full review
  3. Consequence
    Jan 8, 2016
    33
    So much of Ardipithecus is impenetrable, even distancing. The album is a headscratcher, one that shows plenty of promise but also a personality abstruse to the point of mystification.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »