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. andrilitvynchuk
    Aug 12, 2023
    8
    This album hit me with breaking vibes and I loved it……zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  2. miguelcstb
    Dec 7, 2021
    3
    While listening to this album I couldn't wait for it to end, cause even though Syre is almost as long as the average album, it felt like it was longer because of how boring and repetitive the album is. I felt like Jaden tried to be influential and have his Kendrick Lamar moment, but the only thing he managed to do was to make songs with weak and somethimes even cringey lyrics. For me thisWhile listening to this album I couldn't wait for it to end, cause even though Syre is almost as long as the average album, it felt like it was longer because of how boring and repetitive the album is. I felt like Jaden tried to be influential and have his Kendrick Lamar moment, but the only thing he managed to do was to make songs with weak and somethimes even cringey lyrics. For me this album only got a bit interesting during the second half. And yes, there are some good songs, but nothing too outstanding... they're just not as monotonous as the other songs.… Expand
  3. edelgardvonhres
    Sep 21, 2021
    8
    Syre is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I genuinely think Jaden really came into his own here. Beautifully spiritual production at parts, intimately personal tracks, and lyrics that really hype you up and get you in the mood to get up and do things. I will be honest, my own personal views on the album when I first heard about it was me expecting to laugh and be ready to dismissSyre is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I genuinely think Jaden really came into his own here. Beautifully spiritual production at parts, intimately personal tracks, and lyrics that really hype you up and get you in the mood to get up and do things. I will be honest, my own personal views on the album when I first heard about it was me expecting to laugh and be ready to dismiss the album. But I was so pleasantly surprised with how much this album ended up meaning to be in the months and years to follow. Syre is a beautiful effort and Jaden's talent shines throughout it, and for his first studio made album, he absolutely delivered and opened the door for a bigger and brighter future ahead. My personal favorite tracks include the melancholy dream sounding 'Lost Boy', the absolute legendary 'Icon' and it's hyped up beat, and the beautiful closer that feels like a summer afternoon 'SYRE'. Overall, Syre did what it set out to do, planting Jaden on the map as a genuine creator with a voice and a vision and it still holds up years later.… Expand
  4. clem666
    Apr 27, 2021
    8
    There is actually a lot of people hating on and making fun of Jaden. Yes some of his lyrics can be truly laughable. Yes some of his artistic choices are questionnable. Yes he can show some money-driven behaviors. Anyway it is necessary to recognize that 'SYRE' begins with one of the four most powerful tracks I've ever heard as an introduction. If in any case you don't want to listen to anyThere is actually a lot of people hating on and making fun of Jaden. Yes some of his lyrics can be truly laughable. Yes some of his artistic choices are questionnable. Yes he can show some money-driven behaviors. Anyway it is necessary to recognize that 'SYRE' begins with one of the four most powerful tracks I've ever heard as an introduction. If in any case you don't want to listen to any of his music I warmly encourage you to only listen to these 'B'-'L'-'U'-'E' songs. A lot of experimented and aged artists don't manage to get to Jaden's ankle when we get to speak about this marvelous musical an emotional fresco. The overall production is gorgeous. Plus Jaden didn't recieve a lot of physical help to produce 'SYRE' (even if he certainly gathered a lot of financial help yeah).

    There are a lot of interesting choices all along 'SYRE' like the numerous beat switches (in 'Breakfast', 'The Passion' and in 'Ninety' to only cite them), the long instrumental second part of 'Hope', the variety of used instruments, the rare but meaningful featured artists (A$AP Rocky & Raury), the preference to alternate between singing and rapping as often as possible, betting more on the freestyle approach rather than on a regular approach,... So many points leading me to believe that Jaden has talent, even if it needs to be deepened and worked on.

    However as I wrote it before this doesn't mean that Jaden and his artistic work are perfect: far from it. Because he can make terrible choices too, like the lenght of this album, the 'Icon' track, the overall repetitiveness, the egocentric aura oozing from this project,... Unfortunately its length makes this album punctuated with useless and meaningless tracks.

    In conclusion 'SYRE' is paved with awesome tracks, surprisingly deep thoughts but also a lot of convention and redundance. I chose to give it an eight out of ten because of Jaden's performance, variety and abilities. Coming from a major star's son and former child actor this could have been way worst.    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. muriloalvesc_
    Aug 28, 2020
    10
    é um ótimo álbum, ótimas música, melodias perfeitas, letras muito boas também.
  7. Darksyn
    Sep 5, 2019
    10
    U and Ninety are just two masterpieces, that two songs might be the best ones in the project
  8. connorq
    Jun 22, 2019
    9
    This album is one of the most over hated albums I’ve even heard. Despite all the backlash over the “corny” lyrics, which I can admit, is a pretty major con to this album, the rest of the elements in the album make up for it. This is one of the albums I always come back to and never get sick of. A great body of work.
    Fav tracks:
    B, L, U, E, Breakfast, Falcon, Ninety, Lost Boy, Batman, Icon,    This album is one of the most over hated albums I’ve even heard. Despite all the backlash over the “corny” lyrics, which I can admit, is a pretty major con to this album, the rest of the elements in the album make up for it. This is one of the albums I always come back to and never get sick of. A great body of work.
    Fav tracks:
    B, L, U, E, Breakfast, Falcon, Ninety, Lost Boy, Batman, Icon, Fallen, The Passion, George Jeff, Rapper
    Worse Tracks:
    Hope, Watch Me, Syre
    Hope,    … Expand
  9. Samuka
    Jun 15, 2018
    7
    I never had high hopes for this album, and it really impressed me. It has great production value and it feels so good to listen to... Never mind the lyrics seeming a little off here and there, I really liked this debut. He's only 19 and I bet he'll make himself a pretty damn good rapper in the future.

    Highlights: "U", "E", "Falcon", "Ninety", "Icon", "Fallen"
  10. 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
  11. lucas_j
    Mar 22, 2018
    8
    You can tell this has been a project Jaden Smith has been very passionate about and it has paid off. Showing off his style and knowledge of music through his diverse lyrical flow.
    8/10
    Highlights: Hope, Falcon, Icon, George Jeff
  12. IAmTrace
    Mar 4, 2018
    8
    Maybe it could've been the fact that I had low expectations, but Jaden Smith actually has a pretty good album here and knowing that this is his Debut project, this was really impressive. The lyrics are less than stellar and very mediocre, but the flow and production really saves that. I would have to say that I'm excited to see what Jaden can do if he improves his rhyme scheme and keepsMaybe it could've been the fact that I had low expectations, but Jaden Smith actually has a pretty good album here and knowing that this is his Debut project, this was really impressive. The lyrics are less than stellar and very mediocre, but the flow and production really saves that. I would have to say that I'm excited to see what Jaden can do if he improves his rhyme scheme and keeps improving on his flow. The next album he creates will definitely ensure him a spot out of his fathers shadow if he can. Overall Jaden did a good job with it. If you don't mind his "fake deep" lyrics this can be a good listen for you.… Expand
  13. 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
  14. 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.
  15. fireyose
    Jan 13, 2018
    7
    Surprise surprise! Jaden is making an impact in the music scene. Strong production, smooth melodies and savage transitions makes this an album I consistently come back to. Keep it up. You've gotten my attention.
  16. JotaBrasil
    Dec 16, 2017
    7
    Nem sempre o ditado "filho de peixe, peixinho é" é válido para algumas famílias, mas para aqueles que têm o sobrenome Smith parece ser uma verdade absoluta. Além dos pais e a irmã que lançou um álbum esse ano, Jaden Smith também é uma força que deve ser reconhecida. Recentemente, o jovem de apenas dezenove anos lançou o seu primeiro álbum intitulado SYRE, mostrando que existe um rapperNem sempre o ditado "filho de peixe, peixinho é" é válido para algumas famílias, mas para aqueles que têm o sobrenome Smith parece ser uma verdade absoluta. Além dos pais e a irmã que lançou um álbum esse ano, Jaden Smith também é uma força que deve ser reconhecida. Recentemente, o jovem de apenas dezenove anos lançou o seu primeiro álbum intitulado SYRE, mostrando que existe um rapper talentoso nascendo mesmo ainda inexperiente e cometendo alguns erros.

    Primeiro álbum da sua carreira, SYRE mostra que Jaden Smith é um dos primeiros nomes a alcançar o grande mainstream a ser diretamente influenciado pelos dois maiores nomes do rap da atualidade: Drake e, principalmente, Kendrick Lamar. Assim sendo, a produção do álbum dá para a sonoridade do rapper uma característica de querer ser mais que apenas rap/hip hop e, sim, um trabalho que possa se expandir em vários gêneros, criando uma atmosfera rica e trabalhada que consegue criar arte daquilo que era considerado um gênero de segunda classe. Ao não seguir o caminho mais fácil do atual rap/hip hop e entregar batidas perfeitas para as paradas fica fácil notar que Jaden tem mais maturidade que a maioria dos artistas da sua faixa etária. Essa influência vinda diretamente de Lamar é muito bem vida, mas Jaden ainda precisar aparar todas as arestas soltas que atrapalham o resultado final. Preso nessa vontade de soar grandioso, significativo e com uma sensação de urgência, SYRE soa pretensioso quando deveria soar orgânico e fluido. Parece que Jaden quer soar mais importante e profundo do que é de verdade, resultando no rapper dando uma mordida maior que consegue engolir. Entretanto, quando essa grandiosidade pensada funciona da maneira que deveria temo alguns momentos realmente interessantes como a canção que introduz o trabalho: dividida em quatro faixas cada uma intitulada com uma das letras da palavra BLUE, a canção funciona em todos os sentidos, principalmente em soar natural e parece estar no local certo. Quando quer ser mais do que aparece ser encontramos a longuíssima Lost Boy que poderia ter sido cortado em uns sete minutos para funcionar. Esse problema também parece acometer a parte temática do álbum.

    Balanceado a influência do Drake e do Lamar, Jaden transita bem entre as narrações sobre as angústias humanas e as reflexões sobre a vida, especificamente sobre racismo. Todavia, apesar de bem escritas, ainda falta para o rapper saber como explorar esses temas da melhor forma para conseguir aliar a beleza estética pop com a profundidade necessária para refletir verdadeiramente sobre esses temas, pois, por enquanto, várias vezes o trabalho soa como um lamento de uma pobre garoto rico. É interessante o que Jaden poderá fazer no futuro depois de amadurecer já que, apesar dos erros, as composições guardam relances de um artista muito interessante. Assim também é em relação ao Jaden como rapper: apesar de soar sem muita personalidade definida, o jovem possui muito espaço para desenvolver o seu instrumento e isso é uma característica que, por enquanto, está a favor dele. Mesmo com erros aqui e ali, SYRE é um sólido debut para Jaden Smith, ajudando a criar uma promessa que pode ir além das suas origens.    … Expand
  17. 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
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. NintendoJapan
    Nov 24, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers. Jaden Smith has really surprised me on the project. The production on this album is the best I've seen come out of a 2017 album, he's only 19 AND it's his first album!

    'Syre' begins with beautiful vocals from Willow Smith that are a wonder to listen to. 'Syre' begins with 4 tracks named 'B', 'L', 'U', and 'E' respectfully and they all blend into each other into an essentially 13 minute intro that is surprisingly decent. These four tracks is followed by 'Breakfast' which features A$AP Rocky (a personal favourite of mine). Breakfast has quite a nice repeating beat with some damn nice bars from Jaden (e.g. When I talk to Kendrick, man, I sit on the ground (yuh) Just to get a little reference So we have no confusion **** ) The A$AP Rocky feature is HARDLY a feature when all he does is speak to Jaden (and I mean like normal conversation, it literally sounds like you're at a party and they're in the next room talking and thats the A$AP Rocky feature) dissapointing and a waste of Rocky but meh, I was iffy on this track. Hope follows Breakfast and once again Jaden spits some nice as bars with a VERY nice flow with an amazing beat, the production is the star of this album. Falcon is next and the best part of Falcon is the beautiful singing voice of Raury in the bridge that flows very nicely into the second verse with Jaden. Only thing I really disliked about this song was the 'Where are you now' at the beginning from Jaden that just sounded 'off'. The next two songs is Ninety and Lost Boy and they are probably my personal favourites on Syre. Both are very passionate and both are quite long - 7:48 and 9:30. Lost Boy isn't liked by quite a lot of reviews, primarily it's unnecessarily length which I agree with, a solid 3 minutes could've been cut but it's the 'You're all alone
    Does she love you? You'll never know
    I’ll love her ‘till forever on
    'Till she kills my soul'
    is absolutely beautiful with an awe inspiring beat that makes this track a personal favorite but I can see why people dislike Lost Boy. Batman, Icon, and Watch Me were released prior to Syre and they can be a hit or miss for a lot of people, I like Icon way more than the others simply because it has better lyricism, the beat on all 3 tracks are extremely nice though. Fallen was also released earlier, late 2016 actually and it features Jaden's beautiful singing voice that I adore but this song didn't interest me a lot if I'm being honest. Now, The Passion is next and ooooo boy this song is screaming amazing production with some satisfying flows and bars from Jaden and an amazing Hook. This is probably one of my favorites from the album. George Jeff follows The Passion and is essentially a 'freestyle' type rap, like we saw Kendrick do with Backseat Freestyle. This track is just kinda fun to be honest. Rapper has a sick beat but the lyrics are just OK, they don't really fulfill the beat. SYRE is the last track and is essentially a poem about Jadens life, quite beautiful but not a song per say.

    Overall, Syre really surprised me and I cannot wait to see what Jaden has in store for the future and I hope this production keeps with him because it is insane.    … Collapse
  21. Kahlil007
    Nov 24, 2017
    8
    I'm tired of seeing reviews saying he's weak lyrically. Yes his lyrics is not his strength but the fact that a 19 year old can even make due with this production and have great lyrical MOMENTS in a debut project like this, is insane. His charisma, thoughts, and flow keeps you engaged alone, but trust me as he gets older his lyrics will upgrade as well.
    A strong debut, i'll give it a 7.5    I'm tired of seeing reviews saying he's weak lyrically. Yes his lyrics is not his strength but the fact that a 19 year old can even make due with this production and have great lyrical MOMENTS in a debut project like this, is insane. His charisma, thoughts, and flow keeps you engaged alone, but trust me as he gets older his lyrics will upgrade as well.
    A strong debut, i'll give it a 7.5 on a good day 8/10 i've always been a casual fan but this made me into an official one.
    Highlights: B,L,U,E, Falcon, Ninety, Lost Boy, Icon, Fallen    … Expand
  22. lostboy8000
    Nov 22, 2017
    9
    For a debut album from a 19 year old, this is insanely well done.
    People complain about the corny lyrics, however there are moments here where Jaden shines lyrically. Overall, there is room for growth but remember that this is his debut album. With time, we can definitely expect to see improvements in lyricism.
    As far as production goes, this album probably has some of the best for the    For a debut album from a 19 year old, this is insanely well done.
    People complain about the corny lyrics, however there are moments here where Jaden shines lyrically. Overall, there is room for growth but remember that this is his debut album. With time, we can definitely expect to see improvements in lyricism.
    As far as production goes, this album probably has some of the best for the year. Lido did his thing, alongside the other producers involved.    … Expand
  23. TrentRey
    Nov 21, 2017
    7
    A very decent debut album, from actor/rapper, Jaden Smith. Syre has some highlights and some songs that should've been cut from the album.

    The album actually started off very strong with the tracks, B L U E. Those songs are followed by the track, Breakfast. The track had the potential to be great but ended up mediocre. The next good track is Lost Boy. It's a long track but it's    A very decent debut album, from actor/rapper, Jaden Smith. Syre has some highlights and some songs that should've been cut from the album.

    The album actually started off very strong with the tracks, B L U E. Those songs are followed by the track, Breakfast.

    The track had the potential to be great but ended up mediocre. The next good track is Lost Boy. It's a long track but it's very chill and the beat is very easy to listen to. His singing isn't bad in the song.

    Batman sounds like a rip-off track from Kanye West. I don't even know why this song is on the album. IT doesn't even fit. Along with the track Watch Me. Watch Me and Batman literally sounds like Facts and Black Skinheads from Kanye West.

    Fallen and The Passion are very good tracks. The last good song on the album is Syre. This album had a lot of good moments but also had a lot of boring and ridiculous tracks on the album also.

    6.5/10    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
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