After the release of his star-studded Father of Asahd album, DJ Khaled seems to be everywhere these days. However, this time Will Smith is assisted by the famous producer on “Friend Like Me,” a track featured on the Aladdin soundtrack. Smith reinvents the iconic Disney role of Robin Williams as the Genie in the new film that hits theaters this Friday. In true form, Smith will perform the iconic hit of the animated film “Friend Like Me,” but for the soundtrack, Fresh Prince style… or, as he put it, “Geniestyle,” he remixes it with hip hop twist.
“The first day I went to the studio and I really wanted to play with it to see if I could add to it,” explains Smith in a press release. “Literally 30 minutes in the studio and the song[ and] the BPM range 94/96 began to play. That range of BPM is the right hip hop for old school. So I grabbed’ Impeach Your President’ from the Honey Drippers and I had them throw down that breakbeat. That’s what I messed with. And with Erik B, I messed around. Under’ Friend Like Me,’ Rakim’s’ I Know You Got Soul.’ And I was like,’ Oh my god, I am home! I started playing with the hip hop flavor and the Genie was born out of the music in my mind.’ We’d like to think Robin Williams would approve of that.