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

Graduation Songs

Graduation SongsFact or Fiction

Have you got the smarts to know which of these graduation song stories are real?

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")

Director Nick Morris ("The Final Countdown")Song Writing

Nick made some of the biggest videos on MTV, including "The Final Countdown," "Heaven" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)."

Dan Reed

Dan ReedSongwriter Interviews

Dan cracked the Top 40 with "Ritual," then went to India and spent 2 hours with the Dalai Lama.

Julian Lennon

Julian LennonSongwriter Interviews

Julian tells the stories behind his hits "Valotte" and "Too Late for Goodbyes," and fills us in on his many non-musical pursuits. Also: what MTV meant to his career.

Matt Sorum

Matt SorumSongwriter Interviews

When he joined Guns N' Roses in 1990, Matt helped them craft an orchestral sound; his mezzo fortes and pianissimos are all over "November Rain."