Jaden Smith was never shy of the public eye as the son of actors Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and undoubtedly has used his platform for creating what could be the future of music. His down-to-earth lyrical transgressiveness and eerie rhythms show that he is no average musician.

In 2014, the Malibu teen whose full name is Jaden Christopher Syre Smith announced he would produce an album entitled SYRE. On Nov. 17, 2017, he released this masterful debut full-length album.

Smith is a trailblazer in the art of music, introducing harmonically-rich tracks, “B,” “L,” “U,” and “E” with features from his sister Willow and Pia Mia. The songs explore relationships and heartbreak as the melodies progress from slow, romantic bravura to finely-calibrated electronic and rock ballads.

“Breakfast” featuring A$AP Rocky shifts the ambiance of SYRE. Smith takes on a more stouthearted tone to highlight him and his squad known as MSFTS and their abstract style, while also criticising other artists. “You think I’m whack, who are you to tell?/All you hype boys silly (silly)/You a square like Piccadilly,” he raps, calling out other rappers for essentially being basic hypebeasts.

Rocky’s mystifying interlude revamps the track before Smith’s outro introducing Syre. In harmony with his sinister-like presence, he departs to the next song with the line “So, you think you can save rap music?” insinuating Smith, or Syre’s, purpose in the music industry.

The introspective album incorporates some of Smith’s single releases such as “Batman,” “Fallen,” “Falcon,” and “Watch Me.” “Batman” and “Falcon” characterize his distaste toward mumble rappers and their trap vibes, repeatedly referring to them as ‘Jokers’ (Batman’s archnemesis). In “Falcon” he spits, “You jokers corny like kettle/My superflow is so Olympic that I need a medal…I reach for the top and never settle/You say you rock, you a pebble.”

Smith is a tenacious 19-year-old who strives to make a name for himself that accentuates his unique flow. “Watch Me,” the 12th track, takes a different turn toward recounts of young, teenage heartbreak, followed by “Fallen” which illustrates his love for his girlfriend, Odessa Adlon.

The 17-track debut album concludes with the title track about Smith’s desire for equality and his place “in this pink world.” He describes Syre as “a beautiful confusion” on an illuminating journey, who could be the change he wants to see in the world.

The complexity of SYRE requires patience and a keen ear to appreciate Smith’s spectrum of poignant emotions layered with meticulously composed melodies. Though, SYRE may fall flat to ordinary listeners; this album can be misinterpreted as a confusing and dark one-hour emotional rollercoaster whose meaning is not worth understanding. However, Smith’s primary message is to be bold in your actions and establish change and be different from the world of ‘jokers.’

Jaden Smith’s powerful lyricism emphasizes that a vital part of success is to be yourself regardless of where you start and who tries to shape you to fit society’s standards. If Jaden can determine his fate, so can you.