Will Smith’s Lost and Found goes looking for the way to make a successful rap record without swearing or using profanities. Although there are some glitches along the way, on the whole he finds what he is looking for.

Smith has long been known as a ‘clean’ rapper, refusing to swear in his songs or rap about profane subjects.

This insistence on wholesomeness has in the past proved to be detrimental to his success.

No matter how many copies of his albums he is able to sell, Smith has yet to be taken seriously in the hip-hop community.

In the rap genre, Smith has one hand tied behind his back because of his refusal to swear, which has made it difficult for him to be taken seriously.

Although the good guy image is drawn out to a maximum in Lost and Found, Smith finds a way to make it work.

His sense of humor and willingness to tackle sensitive and profound subjects moves him beyond his good guy rapper image.

Even the tracks that discuss the rap community and general pop culture issues play like party songs as Smith is careful to avoid darkening the record with slow or serious toned songs.

“Tell Me Why” is a moving discourse with his son about Sept. 11, 2001. Smith avoids familiarity, as this is a subject visited many times before, as he moves with great dexterity from a sensitive tone while talking to his son, to an aggressive response to the calamities of our society.

“Loretta” and “Lost and Found” are other high points on the record. “Loretta” discusses a real life stalker of Smith in a unique point of view, which is ironically similar in tone to Eminem’s “Stan.”

“Lost and Found” directly addresses his struggle in the rap community and his relationship to other rappers.

Although Smith gets a bit preachy in “Miss. Holy Roller,” on the whole, the record is light in tone yet deals with serious issues in a relevant way.

The curseless battle is ultimately what Lost and Found struggles with.

Smith’s struggle to stay relevant without cursing in a genre dominated by vulgarity is what the record is about, as he must come to terms with the good guy image that has dominated his presence in the rap community.