"It's always been like a closet dream."

For Jada, it was time to rock

By David Hiltbrand

Inquirer Staff Writer

Jada Pinkett Smith comes by her love of hard-rock music honestly.
She's been listening to headbangers like Black Sabbath and Led
Zeppelin since she was a girl growing up in Baltimore.

For years, while she was developing her acting career (Woo, The
Matrix sequels) and pursuing wedded bliss with the pride of Philly,
Will Smith, she also harbored a passionate desire.

"I wanted to see a chick get down like Axl Rose," Pinkett Smith says
on the phone.

Finally, in 2003, she decided it was time to turn up the amplifiers
and rock the house. "I know," she says of the shocked reaction she
gets when people hear of her career detour. "It is so out of the
box. But it's always been like a closet dream. One day I realized
I'd better do it. It was now or never."

Thus was born the metal band Wicked Wisdom, which has been winning
over fans one gig at a time. "You have people that are skeptical,"
the singer says. "They come up and say, 'I came here to hate on you
guys and throw [stuff], but I can't. You guys are really good.' "

Sharon Osbourne caught a Wicked Wisdom show at the Viper Room in
West Hollywood and promptly offered the band a slot on last summer's
OzzFest tour.

"The OzzFest crowd was off the chain," Pinkett Smith says. "I love
their passion and their enthusiasm and their love for live music.
Those kids hold it down."

The only bad experience they had was in Camden, where Pinkett Smith
got into it with a few members of the crowd who were mocking her
with Nazi salutes.

"That was one of our first shows on OzzFest and we were really still
getting our bearings," Pinkett Smith says. "I saw some things in the
audience that [ticked] me off. It turned into a really bad
situation."

No hard feelings. She's looking forward to returning to this
area. "We've been performing quite a bit since then," she
says. "It's a totally different get-down."

The band is promoting its first CD, a self-titled disc that is due
out Feb. 21. "We've been working at this for a while, at getting
that sound together," she says. "We all love heavy music; we all
love melody. This album is like a launching pad. We're already
working on the next one. It will be even groovier and heavier."

She's expecting some spousal support at Saturday's show at the
Electric Factory. "I think you might see Will there," she says
slyly, "cause it's his hometown and he always checks out the tour."

But he won't be riding with the band to the next stop on its
tour. "My kids love the tour bus. My husband hates it," Pinkett
Smith says. It reminds him of his days as a teenage rapper. " 'I
don't want to do this anymore! I did this for 10 years.' "

Yet it's a journey that his wife is just starting.