Syre
by Jaden Smith
  • Record Label: MSFTS
  • Release Date: Nov 17, 2017
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 106 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 79 out of 106
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 106
  3. Negative: 8 out of 106
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  1. freshie
    Feb 3, 2018
    6
    A commendable debut effort from the much discussed Jaden Smith. Some songs lack polish and spark, yet SYRE provides a handful of songs that shows Jaden's future potential.
  2. Music_Observer
    Dec 3, 2017
    4
    Imagination went well beyond substance, like high school kids doing Shakespeare, and Smith fell flat in trying to imitate expressionism and dramatic presentation with a 70-minute work based off of speaking in triplets, bland choruses, complacent structures, and pretentious codas, leaving this overly lengthy work to be too big of a project for the little guy to pull off. My Score: 77/180Imagination went well beyond substance, like high school kids doing Shakespeare, and Smith fell flat in trying to imitate expressionism and dramatic presentation with a 70-minute work based off of speaking in triplets, bland choruses, complacent structures, and pretentious codas, leaving this overly lengthy work to be too big of a project for the little guy to pull off. My Score: 77/180 (Bad) = 4.3/10… Expand
  3. MusicalButter
    Nov 25, 2017
    4
    Young nineteen-year-old Jaden Smith's new album Syre is an album full of corny lyrics but however heavy and decent production. Certain tracks didn't deserve to be on the album but however it is a take on Jaden's landing in the rap industry.

    Favourites: U, L

    Eh: Icon, George Jeff, Falcon, B L U E.

    Just no: Lost Boy, Icon, Batman, Watch Me, Fallen.
  4. therealbear
    Feb 9, 2018
    5
    He has talent, good potential in the lyric aspect, but in the end, on this album, the bad choice in production is dominant over the good one, and overall it affects that potential in the lyric aspect. He is way to absorbed by the idea that he has to be like the popular rappers from this era (which is a bad thing for everyone). Jaden Smith has the gene of a rapper of the 2000 era becauseHe has talent, good potential in the lyric aspect, but in the end, on this album, the bad choice in production is dominant over the good one, and overall it affects that potential in the lyric aspect. He is way to absorbed by the idea that he has to be like the popular rappers from this era (which is a bad thing for everyone). Jaden Smith has the gene of a rapper of the 2000 era because he can rap clearly ,he has a good voice and he is smart enough to come up with good lyrics. If i have to compare him to rappers from this era, then i would say he is better then most of them. But if i compare him to the history of hip hop.....then....he is in the wrong era with his talent.… Expand
  5. draediamond
    Jun 7, 2018
    4
    The production is otherwordly at times but his ego without absolutely any substance is very irritating. He's really like a Dollar General version of Kanye mixed with a Great Value Kendrick. BLUE is incredible and there are a few nice songs but this album tries way too hard to be something it's not. The Blackskinhead rip off "Watch Me" is pretty sad. The influence of Gambino's Because theThe production is otherwordly at times but his ego without absolutely any substance is very irritating. He's really like a Dollar General version of Kanye mixed with a Great Value Kendrick. BLUE is incredible and there are a few nice songs but this album tries way too hard to be something it's not. The Blackskinhead rip off "Watch Me" is pretty sad. The influence of Gambino's Because the Internet is WAY to prevalent here. His lyrics are so surface level but it's like he's screaming at the listener that they are deeper. These are the fake artsy kids that flamboyantly flex their "art" (mostly mediocre photos or trash beats) all over your timelines. Don't get me wrong It's a decent debut album,albeit mostly because of the production choices, but if this is a glimpse of what he has to offer i his rap career, there's not much to anticipate here.… Expand
  6. MrMemeister
    Nov 25, 2017
    6
    After months of teasing "SYRE", Jaden has finally delivered. The most obvious aspect of this album is it's production, characterized by very soft, mellow synths and glitzy trap rhythms, exemplified nicely on the first four songs which start "SYRE" off in a sonically epic way. The first half continues the album's story on tracks like "Hope" and "Lost Boy", which show Jaden emotionallyAfter months of teasing "SYRE", Jaden has finally delivered. The most obvious aspect of this album is it's production, characterized by very soft, mellow synths and glitzy trap rhythms, exemplified nicely on the first four songs which start "SYRE" off in a sonically epic way. The first half continues the album's story on tracks like "Hope" and "Lost Boy", which show Jaden emotionally detailing very relatable personal struggles with his romantic life. Other's like "Breakfast" and "Falcon" feature denser, more colorful sound pallets, over which he spits lines about his flow being "Call Of Duty prestige" or dealing with his haters. While most of the songs sound very polished and fleshed out thanks to the production, they are sometimes very poorly structured and feel overly long. "Batman" starts off the second half of the album, on which we get harder, more aggressive cuts that sadly sound awkward thanks to Jaden's writing and delivery, most notably on the very "Yeezus"-like "Watch Me" or the tired sounding "Rapper". The concept also seems to fall off, as the titular character's journey seems pushed aside up until the last track, where his story of love and loss gets tied up somewhat well. The music pales on the later cuts as well, with exceptions like "Icon" and "Fallen". Considering the quality production and Jaden's obvious passion for the various themes and subjects across "SYRE", it's easy to get lost in the music, but too often do his imperfections halt the overall mood. He's still got a long way to go, but this is an enjoyable, if slightly underwhelming start.
    Favorites: "B", "U", "Hope", "Falcon", "Fallen"
    Least Favorites: "Batman", "Watch Me", "Rapper"    … Expand
  7. hdcooper
    Apr 8, 2021
    4
    A decent debut album with a lengthy runtime that could have been shortened by cutting some of the weaker tracks, allowing the high parts of the record to shine even more.

    4.8/10

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. The Wire
    Dec 19, 2017
    70
    He might be a slightly better rapper [than his father Will], he’s certainly a more adventurous artist and the fact that he’s a product of his generation shouldn’t detract from that. [Jan 2018, p.78]
  2. AllMusic
    Dec 6, 2017
    70
    As a debut, it has enough standout moments to pique interest in a future when Smith could stand toe to toe with his many inspirations.
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  3. Pitchfork
    Nov 21, 2017
    51
    While there are some musical highlights--like the 8-bit ambience of the Ricky Eat Acid-produced title-track--the album is constantly in pursuit of a voice it never finds. Which highlight Smith’s writing, some of the worst in rap this year. His lyrics are crass and half-baked and insulting to one’s intelligence.
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