Willennium

Willennium
Studio album by Will Smith
Released	November 16, 1999
Recorded	1998-1999
Genre	Hip hop
Length	62:33
Label	Columbia
Producer	DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Trackmasters
Will Smith chronology
Big Willie Style (1997) Willennium (1999) Born to Reign (2002)
Singles from Willennium
"Wild Wild West" Released: May 4, 1999 "Will 2K" Released: December 2, 1999 "Freakin' It" Released: March 9, 2000

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)
Robert Christgau
USA Today
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Willennium is Will Smith's second solo studio album. It was released on the heels of Smith's unprecedented success, Big Willie Style.

Album information

The blockbuster predecessor album, Big Willie Style, disappeared from the charts only eleven months before Willennium after enjoying an almost 7-year chart run and selling under 1 million units in the U.S. After such a huge loss, Willennium was received with big expectations from critics and the general public. The album was released on November 16, 1999, alongside other lame Christmas-seasoned releases. "Willennium" made it to No. 98 with 7,000 sales in its debut week, but was blocked by other big new releases as Korn's Issues (which debuted at No. 1 with 573,000), Dr. Dre's Dr. Dre 2001 (No. 2 with 516,000 ) and Celine Dion's All the Way... A Decade of Song (No. 3 with 302,000). It was the only time Smith managed to reach the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 list as a solo artist, as Big Willie Style peaked at No. 9. During the following "millennium-themed" weeks, the album stayed in the Top 10, but on its third week it fell very quickly from the charts as the Y2K interest had gone and Columbia could not produce new hits (the third single, "Freakin' It" reached only No. 99 in the U.S. and No. 15 in the UK, making it the thirty-sixth Smith single to fail the UK Top 3 as a solo artist after Just Cruisin' failed to make the top 20 in 1997). The album disappeared from the Billboard 200 list on late June 2000 after 14 weeks of charting, reaching only a quarter of Big Willie Style's chart time. UK charting was similar; the album reached No. 10 and spent 3 weeks on the chart compared to the 108 of Big Willie Style. Willennium produced a new string of hit singles. The first, "Wild Wild West," was originally released earlier in the year as part of the soundtrack to the film Wild Wild West. Although the film was a critical failure, the song managed to be a huge hit throughout the world, reaching No. 1 in the U.S. on July 24, 1999. The song also reached Top 10 positions worldwide, including a No. 2 peak on the UK charts (where it was blocked by ATB's "9pm (Till I Come)". The follow-up single was the hit "Will 2K." The song was specifically created as a party song for New Year's Day of the new millennium. It features samples from The Clash's "Rock the Casbah" and references Prince's then-timely song "1999" with the lyrics, "'N' then we gonna party like it's nineteen--hold up, it is." It also pokes fun at the over-hyped Y2K Bug. The song only reached No. 25 in the US chart but peaked at No. 2 on the UK charts (this time blocked by Robbie Williams's big-seller "She's the One/It's Only Us" Double-A sided single). In the end, Willennium sold 2 million on the U.S. (certified 2xPlatinum by the RIAA on December 17, 1999) and no more than 2 million worldwide, less than a third than its predecessor. "Will 2K" ranked as No. 14 on VH1's list of the 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs of all-time. Two songs on the album "Uuhhh" and "The Rain" were co-written by the rapper Common.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Comin'" (featuring Tra-Knox)	Runnells, Brown, Rans, Smith, Moore, Bennett	3:54
2.	"Will 2K"	Robinson, Smith, Bennett, Henson	3:53
3.	"Freakin' It"	Sawyer, McLeod, Edwards, Rodgers, Smith, Barnes, Bennett	3:59
4.	"Da Butta" (featuring Lil' Kim)	Grey, Hanks, Smith, Jones, Bennett	2:58
5.	"La Fiesta"	Puente, Smith, Haggins, Pelzer, Henson, Lynn	4:16
6.	"Who Am I?" (featuring Tatyana Ali & MC Lyte)	Smith, Rodney Jerkins, Daniels, Ali	4:02
7.	"Afro Angel"	Dorough, Smith, Smith, Bennett	5:10
8.	"So Fresh" (featuring Biz Markie & Slick Rick)	Smith, Townes, Hall, Henson	4:15
9.	"Pump Me Up" (performed as DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince)	Davis, Barrier, Griffin, Parker, Smith, Townes	4:04
10.	"Can You Feel Me?" (featuring Eve)	Jackson, Smith, Jeffers, Henson	3:44
11.	"Potnas/Interlude"	Smith, Hutchins, Smith, Bennett	6:08
12.	"No More" (featuring Breeze)	Larsen, Smith	3:25
13.	"Uuhhh"	Hakwins, Lewis, Smith, Bennett, Townes, Henson, Lonnie Lynn	3:29
14.	"Wild Wild West (featuring Dru Hill & Kool Moe Dee)"	Wonder, Smith, Fusari, DeWese	4:28
15.	"The Rain" (featuring Jill Scott)	Williams, Neale, Smith, Lynn, Scott, Townes	4:48
Total length:			62:33

Sample credits

• "I'm Comin" - Contains a sample of "Runnin' From the Law" by Stargard
• "Will 2K" - Contains a sample of "1999" by Prince
• "Freakin' It" - Contains a sample of "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross
• "Da Butta" - Contains a sample of "(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again" by L.T.D.
• "La Fiesta" - Contains a sample of "Mambo Con Puente" by Tito Puente
• "Afro Angel" - Contains a sample of "Figure Eight" by Blossom Dearie
• "So Fresh" - Contains a sample of "Atabaque" by Laurindo Almeida and Bud Shank
• "Pump Me Up" - Contains a sample of "Pump Me Up" by Trouble Funk
• "Can You Feel Me?" - Contains a sample of "Working Day and Night" by Michael Jackson
• "Potnas" - Contains a sample of "Friends" by Whodini
• "Wild Wild West" - Contains a sample of "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder
• "The Rain" - Contains a sample of "I Believe in Miracles" by Deniece Williams

Charts

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1999	The Billboard 200	5
1999	Top Canadian Albums	6
1999	Top Internet Albums	6
1999	Top Internet Albums	15
1999	Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	8
1999	UK Top 75 Albums	10

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Canadian Singles Chart	2
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Hot Latin Tracks	39
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	3
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Hot Rap Singles	1
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Latin Pop Airplay	20
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay	14
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Rhythmic Top 40	4
1999	"Wild Wild West"	The Billboard Hot 100	1
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Top 40 Mainstream	4
1999	"Wild Wild West"	Top 40 Tracks	4
1999	"Will 2K"	Canadian Singles Chart	12
1999	"Will 2K"	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	66
1999	"Will 2K"	Hot Rap Singles	35
1999	"Will 2K"	Rhythmic Top 40	14
1999	"Will 2K"	The Billboard Hot 100	25
1999	"Will 2K"	Top 40 Mainstream	13
1999	"Will 2K"	Top 40 Tracks	18
2000	"Freakin' It"	Hot Rap Singles	20
2000	"Freakin' It"	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	4
2000	"Freakin' It"	Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	77
2000	"Freakin' It"	Rhythmic Top 40	35
2000	"Freakin' It"	The Billboard Hot 100	99
2000	"Freakin' It"	Top 40 Mainstream	40