Boom! Shake the Room

Album: Code Red (1993)
Charted: 1 13
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • By 1993, gangsta rap was the big trend in hip-hop. This is a very PG song, with no guns or overt sex, but compared to the duo's previous hits ("Parents Just Don't Understand," "Summertime"), it's straight nasty, with Will Smith - still known as The Fresh Prince - getting bragadocious and telling some girl that he's going to turn her around and "work that booty." Aggressive stuff, and not real believable coming from the wholesome Smith. And while other rappers who turned suddenly Gangsta in the '90s (Kriss Kross, MC Hammer) saw their careers implode, Smith didn't need to keep rapping, since he had a solid acting career. This was the last single he released with DJ Jazzy Jeff, and four years later, when he resumed his rap career under his real name, he apparently learned his lesson, as he stopped posturing and focused his lyrical content on having fun and promoting his movies. Huge hits followed, including his first single "Men In Black" in 1997 and "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" the next year.
  • This samples "Funky Worm," which was a #15 US hit released in 1972 by the Ohio Players. DJ Jazzy Jeff (Jeff Townes) is a very well respected DJ who created the tracks and worked the samples for the duo.
  • This is a rare rap song with some stuttering, which Smith uses to demonstrate how he conquers his fear to rule the microphone.

Comments: 1

  • Eric from Beaverton, OrIt says some of the lyrics of this song weren't very believable coming from Will Smith. I think his song "You Saw My Blinker" is worse, and seems too out of character for Will Smith.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Randy Houser

Randy HouserSongwriter Interviews

The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.

Gilby Clarke

Gilby ClarkeSongwriter Interviews

The Guns N' Roses rhythm guitarist in the early '90s, Gilby talks about the band's implosion and the side projects it spawned.

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins

Tom Bailey of Thompson TwinsSongwriter Interviews

Tom stopped performing Thompson Twins songs in 1987, in part because of their personal nature: "Hold Me Now" came after an argument with his bandmate/girlfriend Alannah Currie.

Krishna Das

Krishna DasSongwriter Interviews

The top chant artist in the Western world, Krishna Das talks about how these Hindu mantras compare to Christian worship songs.

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?

What Musicians Are Related to Other Musicians?Song Writing

A big list of musical marriages and family relations ranging from the simple to the truly dysfunctional.