(FORTUNE Magazine) – Will Smith Willennium Columbia

If any album ever begged to be packaged with a free Pokemon plush toy, it's Willennium. Like his hype-fueled movie blockbusters, Will Smith's new G-rated Y2K party record is more than a CD; it's a preordained Event--one that even the tykes can get jiggy with. Not that this comes as any shock: Ever since his previous incarnation as the squeaky-clean Fresh Prince, Smith's been about as edgy as a well-worn butter knife. Yet as undeniably harmless as Willennium is, it's also as catchy as all get-out. Like fellow platinum rapper Puff Daddy, Smith shamelessly recycles old pop hooks for his backing tracks. But unlike Puffy, his larceny often feels inspired (his funky New Year's Eve jam "Will 2K" samples the Clash's "Rock the Casbah"). But Smith's true gift as a rapper is his fluid, playful delivery--he even manages to rhyme Botticelli with Serengeti on "I'm Comin'." In fact, the only colossal misstep on Willennium is when Smith tries to out-caliente Ricky Martin on "La Fiesta." Well, that and the missed marketing opportunity with those Pokemon dolls.

--Chris Nashawaty

JEFF GORDINIER and CHRIS NASHAWATY are senior writers at Entertainment Weekly.