Jaden Smith - "Pumped Up Kicks (Like Me)" (Official Premiere)

Our Thugrats column has been profiling for some of the illest pint-sized rappers around, but today we’ve struck gold with the discovery of 14-year old rapper Jaden Smith and his music video “Pumped Up Kicks (Like Me).”

Yes, he’s the son of actor-sort-of-sometimes-soundtrack-rapper Will Smith and the fetching actress Jada Pinkett. But who cares. The great thing about Jaden Smith is that his raps are his own and they’re on point, hovering between cheeky rebellion and laid back slyness delivered with a pile-driving flow. 

And just when I thought artists had sampled the shit out of Foster The People and skate rap had peaked with Odd Future’s Supreme-clad antics, out comes Jaden with bazooka rhymes and a posse full of babes and pro skaters and BMX riders shredding through LA’s legendary Skatelab Park (I spy a certain Theotis Beasley, Chris Cole, Alex Midler, and Dakota Roche in the mix).

What’s it all mean? Who knows. We’re just curious to find out more in September when Jaden drops his first ever cooltape – he insists it’s different from a “mixtape.” 

Directed and Edited by Mike Vargas / Nuyorktricity
Produced by Omarr Rambert / Stoopid Robots / Moni Vargas
DP: Matt Bass
2nd Camera: Matt Pappas
Crew: Mightye Chuchaisri, Kit Kymla, Veline Mojarro