Some may know him as Will Smith’s son, others may know him from Karate Kid, The Pursuit of Happiness, or more recently The Get Down. But, there’s more to this actor/artist that meets the eye. Recently Jaden Smith has been contributing to fixing the problem we all know as the Flint Michigan water crisis.
JUST water, Jaden Smith’s company, and First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church have joined hands to help others in need. JUST water is 100% spring water that is responsibly sourced, and its boxed shape gives it a special edge. Lead is reduced as well as other potential things that may contaminate water through a deployable mobile water filtration system. There has been a decline in water bottle donations to Flint Michigan. JUST water also serves as a better alternative due to the fact that plastic bottles hurt the environment.
This is just the beginning for Jaden and his helping hands, and I believe he will come up with the more effective ways to not only save the environment but the people who are suffering during this time.
Jaden has also dropped some knowledge regarding his thoughts on the school to prison pipeline. Listening to someone so young speak on such relevant topics gives you a sense of hope for our communities. Jaden Smith believes that there are too many correlations between the public school system and prison systems.
If you read a little further you’ll see how this isn’t as farfetched as some may think. In a direct quote from Ebony Magazine Jaden explains, “The fact that you have the long hallways, the fact that you have a fixed responsibility to authority, the fact that there is a specific time to go outside and play, and there’s a specific time you could come back in and the way that your notified by that happening is by the bells.”
Smith went on, “They’re subconsciously getting you to have a fixed response to authority and understand what it’s going to be like when you are in prison. It’s like know when you’re here you have to listen to me I’m in charge and now I’m going to pass you off to this person who’s in charge when you’re doing this.” Some lashed out on social media expressing their disbelief, others found the opinions gave them a different perspective on the issue at hand, they simply see him as misunderstood.
Jaden Smith has also given a little insight into the new sound of his upcoming album, ERYS. If you are a fan of Jaden Smith’s music it is not a secret how far he has come since his feature with Justin Bieber on Never Say Never. Of course, he is not one to stick to one specific sound and I think this will really be depicted in his upcoming project. His videos are based around sunsets in California, Tesla’s, and most of the time a lot of jewelry. You might catch him in a Batman suit from time to time as well. Aside from his own music he has been featured in songs with some of today’s biggest names such as Young Thug, Kid Cudi, Jhene Aiko, Tyler the Creator, and the A$AP Mob. Jaden continues to grow throughout his career and with the support system, he has along with his growing fanbase he is only bound to go up from here.
As far as fashion goes I believe that he could care less about appealing to the masses. I believe that he sends a message with his wardrobe that states: DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. In a quote from Highsnobiety Jaden states, “If you want to wear this, or you want to wear that. And if they say that you can’t, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to think they’re cool. Even if everybody says you’re not cool. That’s what it’s all about.” His goal is to push the masses to be different and inspire them and I believe that he reaches that goal every day.
It has been a wonderful ride watching Jaden grow up and he is capable of a limitless amount of things. There is a beauty to his madness and I know he will be sticking around for a very long time. I believe it is essential to do more research on our young stars to see how we can contribute to their campaigns and projects. I believe that the Flint water crisis is nowhere near recovering, but ts steps like this that need to be taken in order to reach our goal. Be on the lookout for Jaden’s new album, ERYS, and don’t be surprised if you see him in any films or projects in the near future.