It’s being called a “surprise album,” but after Willow Smith tweeted “Dec. 11” on numerous recent occasions — and told DJ Skee the project was “done” in a recent interview — we’d be lying if we said we’re shocked. Earlier this morning, the 15-year-old hyper creative dropped her debut full length, Ardipithecus, on Roc Nation, a release that follows a steady stream of singles, self-produced Soundcloud projects, and an outstanding EP “III,” which arrived last year.
“Ardipithecus Ramidus is the scientific name of the first hominid bones found on earth,” the talented teen told The Fader in an emailed statement explaining the album’s direction. “Digging deep in the soil of my heart and finding bits and pieces of my ancient self that tell stories, which end up being the lyrics to the songs. Ardipithecus is my first album in my entire career and it makes me feel so blessed to be able to share my evolution with the LightEaters as I continue excavating my inner worlds…” Spoken like a true Smith.
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As she told DJ Skee following her riot grrrl-inspired Camp Flog Gnaw set, the project originally contained 26 tracks, but was tightened to 15. Willow is credited as sole songwriter on all but one of the Ardipithecus songs, and self-produced 10 of them. Though Jaden doesn’t appear in the credits, her eldest brother Trey (who you might recognize from his appearance in Willow’s i-D produced video for “Why Don’t You Cry”) is credited as AcE for his production efforts.
Though “Why Don’t You Cry” closes out Ardipithecus, many of its tracks haven’t been heard elsewhere — including Willow’s two-part ode to Adventure Time’s resident rocker Marceline the Vampire Queen (straight up, Lady Rainicorn even gets a shout out). Ardipithecus is available on iTunes here.
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Photography Tyrone Lebon
Styling Julia Sarr-Jamois