Jaden Smith Tells Black Kids ‘It’s OK to Wear Flowers in Your Hair’
Jaden Smith recently released his album CTV3: Cool Tape Vol. 3. The entertainer wants to send a message to Black youth to let them know it’s OK to be different.
Willow Smith felt the Black community didn’t accept her and Jaden Smith
Jaden and Willow have a unique style and way of expressing themselves. Consequently, Willow says they felt “shunned” by the Black community. During an interview on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk, she shared her feelings about the way she feels she and her brother were treated.
“Specifically, with the African American community, I kind of felt like me and Jaden were shunned a little bit,” said Willow. “It was like, ‘No, we’re not going to take pride in them because they’re too different, they’re too weird,” she continued.
She also shared that she felt some of her family members treated her and Jaden differently because of their choice to wear unconventional styles and behave differently.
Jaden Smith tells Black youth it’s ‘OK to wear flowers in their hair’
Smith tells Amazon Music he spent most of his time working on his album in his bedroom. He says he had to tap into the feelings he was experiencing during the time he was first introduced to music and the time he first fell in love. These events were happening at the same time for him.
“I’m really connected to the idea of spreading peace and love through music and how in the ‘60s the psychedelic movement really created this culture of people wearing crazy clothes and doing all these things,” says Smith. “For me, when I represent the culture, I just really specifically want to let all the kids that are minorities, specifically the Black kids out there, that you can wear flowers in your hair too or play guitar and sing and do this or spread peace and love and that’s cool. It’s totally something that’s acceptable to do and we’ve got your back.”
Smith says his album has led him to explore his musical personality and delve deeper into who he is as an artist.
“I think that it has really been a process of going deeper into myself and understanding myself more and my artistry and how I want to affect the world, and how I have affected the world in the past, and how I want to affect the world moving forward,” he told Amazon music. “Everybody is going through a very hard time in the world and I just want to put positivity out into the world.”
Jaden Smith’s ‘The Solution Committee’
In September 2020, Smith launched an educational show on Snapchat titled The Solution Committee. The goal of the show is to address pressing social issues and look for ways to bring about change. Climate change, racism, and voting will be among the topics covered. Through discussions and advice from celebrities and decision-makers, he hopes to not only educate but also give hope to young people who might be discouraged by the current state of the nation.
During the first episode of The Solution Committee, Smith reaffirms his desire to bring positive change. “It’s cool to want a better world for yourself and the people around you and to actively go out and try to find that world,” says Smith.
Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
