50 Responses to “Video of the day: Willow Smith ‘whips her hair back and forth’”

1. 

   Felicia 9 September 2010 at 12:32 pm Permalink

   Luv it!

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2. 

   Shones 9 September 2010 at 12:38 pm Permalink

   mm… i’m not a fan. but she’s an adorable girl.

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3. 

   Keisha 9 September 2010 at 12:54 pm Permalink

   Very cute and catchy. More for the kids in my opinion, but I like it.

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4. 

   serenissima 9 September 2010 at 1:06 pm Permalink

   the rihanna influence is clear

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5. 

   Leslie 9 September 2010 at 1:49 pm Permalink

   IT GETS STUCK IN MY HEAD!!

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6. 

   Eboney 9 September 2010 at 2:53 pm Permalink

   I think the song is great! I have two little sisters and I’m glad they have an appropriate alternative to artists like rihanna. Plus this little girl ooozes confidence, what’s better than that?

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7. 

   Aisha 9 September 2010 at 3:09 pm Permalink

   She has a good vocie. Definately hear the Rihanna in it though

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8. 

   asia 9 September 2010 at 3:13 pm Permalink

   nice song. confident girl. and definetly riri inspired. you can tell

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9. 

   Caramelqueen 9 September 2010 at 3:24 pm Permalink

   Umm . . . TEAM WILLOW!!!! “I whip my hair back and forth, I whip my hair . . .” *jooks*

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10. 

    luvmylocs 9 September 2010 at 5:46 pm Permalink

    cute! a nice teen song. i love hairempowerment!

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11. 

    mophead 9 September 2010 at 7:04 pm Permalink

    This is cute. I think she is adorable and should be able to express herself.

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12. 

    Krystal 9 September 2010 at 7:06 pm Permalink

    I don’t want to like it but i will, lol. i feel wrong for liking it though, like i’m too old for it

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13. 

    Brit 9 September 2010 at 7:24 pm Permalink

    haha! i know i’m way too old, but i kinda love this. side note: rhianna, a grown woman, sounds like a child and i never could get with that.

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14. 

    CurlyOMaley 9 September 2010 at 7:45 pm Permalink

    Watch out for this girl in ten years. She is killing it!

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15. 

    Angelina 9 September 2010 at 8:24 pm Permalink

    !!@@%# As much as I fight it…I.can’t.help…it…I WHIP MY HAIR BACK FORTH!!

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16. 

    Vivianne 9 September 2010 at 8:52 pm Permalink

    I am pleasantly surprised at how catchy it actually is! Her voice isn’t bad at all. If I had enough hair to whip back and forth, I would totally use this as my mantra (and if I was twenty years younger! :-0)

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17. 

    Jai 9 September 2010 at 8:55 pm Permalink

    I think it’s an age appropriate song and it’s catchy.

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18. 

    Cris 9 September 2010 at 9:13 pm Permalink

    She is so freaking cute I want to squeeze her!

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19. 

    Olivia 9 September 2010 at 10:24 pm Permalink

    I love this song!! Its catchy! Thank you for sharing.

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20. 

    TONYA 9 September 2010 at 11:33 pm Permalink

    I think it’s cute….she is killing it you go lil willow!!

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21. 

    Miss.Love 9 September 2010 at 11:41 pm Permalink

    She’s definitely killin’ it, you can soooo hear the influence and by the time she’s 16 shes gonna be SERIOUS fire.

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22. 

    binks 10 September 2010 at 1:41 am Permalink

    I like it, i don’t care if I’ am 20 something but I’ am so blasting this song and singing along…lol

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23. 

    LBell 10 September 2010 at 7:44 am Permalink

    So is this what Autotune sounds like? Sorry, not impressed.

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24. 

    ames 10 September 2010 at 8:42 am Permalink

    I’m not a fan of the song. I am happy for her to be doing her thing.

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25. 

    Kels 10 September 2010 at 10:28 am Permalink

    Not impressed at all. I heard her on Ryan Seacrest. She’s in 5th grade and doesn’t know her times table and doesn’t have time for a tutor. She’s got a single and is on red carpets all over the world. But apparently, there’s simply no time for education. The priorities in that family are screwed up.

    Sorry, but I think this child is headed for a world of hurt. This child is too damn grown and I don’t like the attitude she’s giving in the song. Why in the world is she sining about “haters”? She has haters at the tender age of 9? Really? When did little black girls become so damn hard. SMH.

    And I don’t care who her parents are, 9 is too damn young to be a celebrity. She’s a year younger than Michael Jackson was and in a far more vicious celebrity gossip climate than he was in 1969. To be 9 and have your ability to be a private person taken away is just wrong. Michael Jackson always talked about how that hurt the most. He was a public person since the tender age of 10 and while it led him to great career success, it killed him personally. Shame on her parents.

    I’ve lost all respect for Will and Jada on this one.

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26. 

    Roni 10 September 2010 at 4:34 pm Permalink

    @Kels
    Well to start I find it to be cute and its something she wanted to do. Will and Jada are not forcing her to do this. Jada said herself that she does not want to keep Willow from following her dreams and being herself which is why she let her cut her hair the way it is. It’s what Willow wanted to do. So are you saying that if your daughter had a dream to become a singer, even at a young age, that you would keep her from that?
    Also, I’m pretty sure you do not know whether or not she is getting the education she needs, you do not live in their house hold so you cannot say. What makes her so different from the child stars that were on the screens at young ages like Raven and Keisha Knight, I’m pretty sure they went through the same thing she is going through.

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27. 

    Camille in Slovenia 10 September 2010 at 5:37 pm Permalink

    LOVE LOVE LOVE!

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28. 

    Kels 10 September 2010 at 7:13 pm Permalink

    If I had a daughter who wanted to be a singer, I would certainly let her sing. There’s a difference between being a singer and a celebrity. I would let my daughter sing in school, in church, in local theater productions, etc. I sure as hell would not have her signed to a major deal on Roc Nation records and becoming a superstar at the tender age of 9. Hell no. That is problematic. The record industry is a cesspool and no place for a child. And besides that, to place that kind of financial responsibility on a child is abusive and wrong. MJ talked about how horrible it was for him to be a little boy and know that all those people working for him and around him depended on him to keep a roof over their families head. To place that on a child is abuse. This is what is about to be heaped upon a nine year old.

    As for her education, Willow herself said that she doesn’t know her times table and that she often misses her scheduled time with her tutor. This is what she said in an interview she gave yesterday.

    Like I said, this is too much too soon for this child. I don’t care what her hair looks like. But what’s going on is abusive.

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29. 

    Brownsafro 10 September 2010 at 10:47 pm Permalink

    The song really is catchy and my daughter really likes it.

    It’s an interesting comment about it being “abusive”. I’d be cautious to say that it’s an abusive situation since Will and Jada seem to be in pretty good control of their kid’s careers. Is it also abusive for Jadyn to be playing in movies? Or any other kid for that matter? I certainly think Jada is well within her duties as a mother to allow her child to follow her dreams, but I certainly understand your concern about the industry. The comparison to Michael Jackson isn’t really a fair one given that he and his brothers seem to have been forced many times against their wills to be performers. It has never been clear that MJ or any of them actually made that choice from the beginning on their own.

    In general, I appreciate the infusion of young talent in music and fil and tv, it gives my daughter something to enjoy without me having to censor. Kids should have their own music. As for the statements about her education level, that is certainly concerning and I’m hoping there’s more to it than what was said in that one interview.

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30. 

    mari 11 September 2010 at 12:01 am Permalink

    @Kels

    I don’t think it’s all that fair to compare Willow’s situation with that of Michael Jackson’s; they are completely different. The Smith family DEFINITELY doesn’t depend on Willow for the food that comes into their mouths; Will and Jada had that on lock a long time ago. Also, if anyone knows about the ills of the industry, it’s her parents and I think that they’re going to do their utmost to protect their children while grooming them to be even more influential than they are. As for her education, I’m pretty sure they’re handling that too. An interview is not a complete picture. You have your own ideas of what is right for your child and they have theirs.

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31. 

    Chanel 11 September 2010 at 12:42 pm Permalink

    I like the song. It is definitely stuck in my head. It’s inevitable that one of their children get into the music industry since both of the parents are musically incline. I know some people are saying that this is wrong and too much too soon, but most of the artists we love and listen to today started when they were young, i.e. Usher and Beyonce; the only difference is they didn’t have famous parents. I think we need a black Miley Cyrus or Taylor Swift. I would much rather my 6 month daughter enjoy music by someone that looks like her.

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32. 

    Tracyata 11 September 2010 at 9:35 pm Permalink

    @ Mari
    Read Kels comment again because she didn’t imply that the Smiths were relying on Willow’s financial success but that other people were.

    I agree that “putting” a child in such a spot light is certainly irresponsible if not abusive. I specifically used the word “put” because a 9 year old, no matter how driven, can’t launch a career on their own without their parents assistance and consent.

    I think many people today believe that the smiles on celebrity kids faces are indicative of happiness like the media would want you to be lieve. Many people also don’t understand all that goes into becoming a celebrity and how that can be traumatic and scarring for an adult let alone a child.

    And by the way, the song sounds incredibly obnoxious and bratty. But I guess that’s acceptable to most of these readers and even “cute” to some. Sad.

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33. 

    Kee 11 September 2010 at 9:52 pm Permalink

    I have to agree with Kels. Willow is way too young to be in the position she’s in! She shouldn’t be making major decisions for her life at 9.
    There’s a difference between supporting your childrens dreams and allowing them to live an adults life, which is what Willow is well on her way to doing. Poor thing.

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34. 

    Nappii 12 September 2010 at 2:35 pm Permalink

    I love this!
    I will be playing it for my niece asap.
    She’s young still but has already shown signs of “self esteem ” issues ie “I want hair like Hannah Montana” smh. But just recently she’s been asking for more of the “brown babies” instead of the others…[lol]

    I think this song will be great for the young ones.[lol] I know my niece is stuck on Disney Channel and she needs some “young celebs” that look like her…Something that will make her proud of being a beautiful young black woman…
    =)

    And by the way I’m nineteen and I love this song my self…[lol]
    just posted it to my facebook wall…;)

    Reply
35. 

    Brea 12 September 2010 at 9:26 pm Permalink

    @ Kels

    When I heard that Willow “doesn’t have time for school” I was a little concerned as well; but sometimes people do not need to have a traditional education to be successful. I believe that Will and Jada have done a good job in raising their children despite of their unique lives.

    I’m a fan of the song, I did not expect a little nine year old to have me dancing and jamming!

    Congrats Willow, and I hope to hear more form her.

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36. 

    Tasha Boo 12 September 2010 at 10:36 pm Permalink

    I don’t like it. I think this so called ‘music’ is nothing more than the soulless plethora already clearly accessible and over publicized within mainstream music. Can’t sing? Autotune! Untrained or developed voice? Autotune? Can’t write! The music biz will write it for you and also ensure that you sound just like everyone else! No longer is music with actual beauty in vogue; alas, we are left with synthetic nonsense that is just simply, ‘catchy’ because obviously that’s all that matters.

    I’m not too into un-matured voices making music but if I have to go with someone, I’m much more of an advocate for Dionne Bromfield. Yes, she emulates Amy Winehouse immensely as Amy is her godmother, however; she isn’t autotuned & isn’t Willow emulating Rihanna anyway?

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37. 

    Allison 13 September 2010 at 3:47 pm Permalink

    a little late but I stand with Kels. 9 is too young to be in the spotlight, to have an attitude, to wear designer clothes, to be called a diva. What?? It’s not like she has incredible, unbridled talent, someone wrote this song and the autotuned what she sang. This child didn’t want to be a singer, she wanted to be FAMOUS. And of course, she does, she’s a child. Children want childish things, material things, things they see on TV. It doesn’t mean they should be given it. I’m not offering any commentary on Will and Jada as parents, however the lack of education as a priority is troubling…don’t worry about school, Mommy and Daddy are rich and famous, so you won’t need to fall back on your intelligence? And to those who say it gives their kids something to look up to–this reinforces the ideas that kids already have that they don’t need school, they can get rich by being a rapper or being pretty. I work with kids all the time that think education is for suckers and all they have to do is get discovered. They really really think this. You want to give your kids a role model, turn off the TV and take a trip to the public library, check out the African-American History section. Take them to meet black doctors and lawyers in the community you live in, arrange to bring your child to work with you or them. Encourage dreams that serve the community and the creator, not their egos.

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38. 

    Sherica 13 September 2010 at 11:12 pm Permalink

    Oh my gosh, she has such a beautiful voice. Very cute song too!

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39. 

    pineapplegrl 15 September 2010 at 7:31 pm Permalink

    dont care

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40. 

    serenissima 16 September 2010 at 3:01 pm Permalink

    @kels, tracy, and all of the other commenterrs seeing something SERIOULSY wrong with this:

    I AGREE!

    All of the comments about the education and the parents implementing this, etc, are spot on. I just also wanted to mention the song itself is highly inappropriate. She’s much too young to be singing about ‘haters,’ ‘keeping the party jumping’ (I damn sure wasnt partying at 9) or hopping out of bed to ‘turn my swag on.’ Let’s encourage all of our adolescents to reference/emulate Soulja Boy.

    I mean, really? Adults are loving this song because it’s adult material, totally unsuitable for someone her age. Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez were singing about schoolyard crushes; she’s seeing about ‘whipping it real hard.’ This is the type of role model we want for young Black girls?

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41. 

    serenissima 16 September 2010 at 3:01 pm Permalink

    drat. *seriously

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42. 

    Chanel 17 September 2010 at 1:28 pm Permalink

    I have been getting irritated at many of the comments about this song. I’m not sure why it’s so hard for African Americans to support one another. First, let’s not act like celebrities live in the same world we do. Many of the celebrities we love and support do or did not excel academically, but they are a genius when it comes to there craft, the arts. Secondly, there is nothing wrong with a little girl singing the lyrics to this song. So she says “haters” and “swag”, those are words used to identify with the generation, just like back in the day people would say “groovy” or “jive turkey”.

    After READING the lyrics, this song is just encouraging all listeners (mainly girls/women) to “do you”. In other words, it is saying no matter what you look like and no matter what people say about you keep doing what you do. I would definitely want my daughter to hear this song, because African American girls are too often the brunt of jokes about our appearance so why not have a song to encourage them to have good self-esteem.

    Please read the lyrics and be open to what she is saying before being so quick criticize this beautiful, talented, African-American girl!!

    http://www.elyricsworld.com/whip_my_hair_lyrics_willow_smith.html

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43. 

    serenissima 17 September 2010 at 2:20 pm Permalink

    @Chanel:

    ive read the lyrics before, but, just for you, i clicked on the link and read them again. and i still find it inappropriate.

    ‘Hop up out the bed
    Turn my swag on’

    Kids shouldn’t be hopping out of the bed and turning ANYTHING on! This is glamourizing ‘being cool’ instead of necessarily being yourself. Grown-ups understand terms like swag and how to apply it to their own personal style, but kids? Get out of here with that.

    ‘Pay no attention to them haters
    Cuz we whip em off’

    I hate the term ‘hating.’ I hate it when adults use it. I REALLY hate it when children use it. Hating is the term people hide behind when they don’t want to listen and appreciate others’ opinions, even if they disagree.

    Way to build tolerance in adolescents with this line- I can see scores of fourth graders now claiming their teacher was ‘hating’ on them because they gave them a bad grade or told them to stop talking in class.

    ‘I’m just trying to have fun
    So keep the party jumping’

    Right. All 9-year-old should all be trying to keep the party jumping. I want my 9-year-old to try and keep the jump rope jumping. Or the books. This is a line either highly disturbing about kids partying or CLEARLY aimed at adults.

    ‘Soon as I hit the stage, applause, I’m hearing it
    Whether its black stars, black cards, I’m feeling it.’

    I recognize that her parents have money but the last thing I would want my 9-year-old emulating is a 9-year-old idolizing wealth, fame and fortune. There is so much more to life than that.

    And in regards to your comment, I actually find it more disturbing that African-Americans are for the most part completely enamored of this song.

    Another poster already commented on the fact that her education has taken a backseat to her career, which is so often the case with minority celebrities. We have become so caught up in the cars, clothes, and hoes lifestyle fed to us by the media that we think that’s all there is to aspire to.

    It’s not about her singing, because, especially with her parents connections, a career in show business was inevitable. But the subject matter is SO questionable, and people can’t seem to see past the fact that they can shake their asses to this song in the club.

    Raven Symone ‘That’s What Little Girls Are Made Of’ lyrics:

    ‘Understood who can thank me 4 my kinda of jam show ‘em how to duck
    Go gotta sing on a swing this is what little girls are made of
    Sugar and spice I’m everything nice…
    I got more rhymes than Cosby got shows
    Well see I’m the rave uh the R-A-V-E-N
    A star flowin’ to the end’

    That’s still swag. It’s little girl swag without saying ‘I woke up in the morning and turned my swag on.’ Raven Symone was made of sugar and spice. Willow Smith is made of swag, hate, black cards, and applause.

    :-/

    *sorry for the rant

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44. 

    Tasha Boo 17 September 2010 at 3:18 pm Permalink

    I’m not discrediting or discriminating against Willow for the sake of the color of her skin, ethnic background, or race. Thats not the point at all. I can support artists who are Black like me, but I can’t support where I do not agree.

    “OOMG SHE’S SO TALENTED!”
    -As an actor? Perhaps, but if this is the extent of her musical abilities I’m not at all impressed. Autotune is something I hear far too much as it is and does not thing but tragically rape and molest true melodic melodies offered by organic voices. Yay for synthetic music produced through a computer. :/

    “She’s only 9!”
    -So? Let her be nine then. She and her parents are only exposed to all the criticism anyway because her parents allowed her to become a public spectacle. There’s nothing wrong with being a public spectacle but one must always remember there are both positive and negative aspects of both.

    “I whip my hair back and forth!”
    My fully processed and partially shaved head. Its fine to have another aesthetic other than your own natural aesthetic inspire you. That’s fine. Its fine to have relaxed hair, its all a personal choice. That’s grand. However, I’d be more appreciative if the hair she was so called “whipping” was not straightened with acid.

    Just my opinion.

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45. 

    serenissima 17 September 2010 at 3:40 pm Permalink

    @Chanel:

    One more thing I forgot: the line about artists we admire ‘not excelling academically’ is a load of crap. yes, many artistically inclined people have trouble with school, but it’s not for lack of trying or because it took a backseat to their career. Many creatively inclined people have learning and attention disabilities, and still many others DO excel academically.

    The little girl that played Troy in ‘Crooklyn’ went on to attend Princeton, Lady Gaga graduated learned to play the piano by 9, composed her first piano piece at 11, and graduated at high school at 16 then went on to NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at 17, Jamie Foxx graduated from United States International University with honors, and Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard.

    Plus, no matter how creative Willow Smith is, it’s her parents job to ensure that she knows her times tables. Not that she has a record deal.

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46. 

    Chanel 17 September 2010 at 4:31 pm Permalink

    I love discussions like this!!!

    Ok, I didn’t say that no artist excels academically, I said that many did not, but we still support them. The short lists of artist provided is fine(2 of which are not African American), but if somebody says they only support artists that excelled academically they are lying; We often don’t check.

    I’m not sure how old the people blogging are or how disconnected they are from society but I will try to explain some of the terms Willow uses. I’m not arguing whether or not I agree with the social acceptance of the terms, only the context in which Willow uses them. I do agree that the term ‘hater’ is overused. But hater was initially used to describe jealousy, it’s just another way of saying. Swag is just style and appearance. Why would a parent not want their child to have a sense of pride in who they are?

    The other stuff mentioned about a party and jumping out of bed, I’m really concerned that we are over analyzing things when someone says kids shouldn’t jump out of bed to do ANYTHING…really. Wow! I have worked with kids since I was in high school. And a song like this could be used to motivate kids to do so many things, i.e. hop out of bed and go to school.

    Come on people. I saw someone made reference to Raven Samone, but how many of us supported her by purchasing her music. Realistically, we are all motivated by money to some degree, because that’s what it takes to survive in this world.

    The fact is this is not a negative song. It is promoting self esteem. I think we are over-analyzing for the sake of criticism. I could go on for days about this because I am an attorney at heart.

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47. 

    serenissima 17 September 2010 at 5:10 pm Permalink

    i do as well :) gives me something to do at work lol

    i specifically listed two white and two African-American to show that it can be done by everyone, not just White or Black people, and I find it disheartening that the racecard can be pulled when speaking about artistic intelligence versus formal education. So Black people can sing, dance, and rap, but they can’t go to school and know their times table? o_O that gets MAJOR side eye from me

    I never said kids shouldn’t be jumping out of bed to do ‘anything’ (if that part was directed towards me), just that they SHOULDN’T be jumping out of bed to turn their swag on. I also never said that parents shouldn’t encourage children to have a sense of pride. But swag isn’t pride; there are plenty of so-called geeks and losers out there 100% percent proud of knowing every element in the periodic table. Swagger has a certain adult connotation of being cool or superior, and I don’t think kids her age should be getting introduced to that. I could be overthinking, but I think you’re missing the bigger picture.

    and i dont necessarily think it’s a negative song. its catchy enough, sure, but i think its disturbing that these type of mature themes are what youth of today have come to, and that people are okay with it.

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48. 

    Chanel 17 September 2010 at 6:47 pm Permalink

    To me the race card can always be played…it is always played but often we are too blind to see that it’s played against us.

    Yes, there are those of us that excel in academics and that’s great..kudos. But then there are people who excel artistically and I don’t believe that should be minimized. We should be proud that God has blessed us with these abilities and not have to meet Anglo standards to say we are smart. When it’s them, they are musical geniuses, when it’s us, then that’s all we can do.

    It takes a certain amount of genius to be artistic. To me, that’s the point of this song. People are going to say, “Willow should be in school instead of gettin’ her swag on”, but it’s not important to meet the standards of others. I think if more people embraced this type of thinking, we wouldn’t have to have websites to encourage African American women to ‘BE’ natural.

    It just seems like African Americans often struggle with supporting one another, meanwhile, other races get everybody elses support plus ours.

    I guess I just didn’t do a good job at explaining the definition to the “urban” words she uses. If a geek is 100% proud of knowing every element on the periodic table, then that is their swag; a geek swag:)

    In case I didn’t make it clear, I like the song. More than that, there are more artists out there that I would rather spend my time dissing(def. putting down) other than a 9 year old kid.

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49. 

    Krystal 8 October 2010 at 9:49 am Permalink

    I’m working on a post about Willow and her song on my blog. Google Project Monarch/MK Ultra. It will explain a lot!

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50. 

    lilshaun 23 October 2010 at 1:06 pm Permalink

    I know I shouldn’t….but I like it.

    Reply

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