Given that this ‘happened’ in 2002, this doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination qualify as news. But it certainly came as news to me, the discovery that not only was Jada Pinkett Smith in a nu-metal band, but that that band played on Letterman.
This was brought to my attention by the (incredible) podcast and radio show Street Fight Radio, who generously shared a clip of this magical occurrence to their Facebook page.
Wicked Wisdom, fronted by the inimitable Pinkett Smith, was formed in 2002 and was, as I’m sure you will have picked up by both the clothes they are wearing in that video and also the music, very much a product of the times.
In a 2006 interview, Pinkett Smith told MTV that she was always a huge metal fan and she thought it was shithouse how few women were involved – a very reasonable criticism:
I listened to all kinds of metal as a kid. Metallica, Guns N’ Roses. I would always look at Axl Rose and say, “Why aren’t there any chicks out there doing this now?” I always wanted an opportunity to get out there and rock out.
“Wow, 2006? They went for a long time.” I hear you say. Well, guess what, motherfucker, they lasted a whole lot longer than that. Their Wikipedia page lists them as active from “2006 – present“, with their most recent release being the single Stuck, which came out in 20-goddamn-13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f56ZtXrx_nw
Probably my favourite thing about this is how the band opened for Britney Spears for eight shows during the European leg of her 2004 Onyx Hotel Tour. It is difficult to imagine how the fans there to see Britney perform the bangers from her 2003 album In The Zone took to the nu-metal stylings of Wicked Wisdom but, hey, they gave it a bash.
People give nu-metal a hard time but I dare you – I fucking dare you – not to lose your shit if someone chucks Freak On A Leash on.
