Lost and Found is the fourth studio album by American actor and rapper Will Smith. It was released on March 29, 2005, by Interscope Records. The album reached number six on the US Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, making this Smith's third overall top ten album following Willennium in 1999 and his second gold-selling album following Born to Reign in 2002. The album also reached the top 20 on the UK Albums Chart. "Switch" and "Party Starter" were released as singles. This would be Smith's last album in twenty years before he returned to music in 2025 with Based on a True Story.
Recording and production
The majority of recording for Lost and Found took place at The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California, with additional sessions at The Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Cutting Room in New York City, New York, 1020 Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and Crescent Moon Studios in Miami, Florida. Almost all songs on the album were produced or co-produced by The Freshmen, or individual member Troy "Treezah" Johnson, with executive producer Omarr "O. Banga" Rambert producing much of Smith's vocals; DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kwamé, and more also contributed to production. PopMatters writer Mike Schiller identifies a similar tone on the album, noting that Smith is "surprisingly confrontational" on much of the record targeting subjects such as rap radio and other hip hop artists. Rolling Stone writer Christian Hoard noted that the lyrics on the album feature "lots of self-deprecating humor".
Promotion and release
The release of Lost and Found was preceded by the single "Switch" in February 2005, which gave Smith his first US Billboard Hot 100 top 10 since "Wild Wild West" in 1999. "Switch" was also successful internationally, reaching the top 10 on a number of regional charts including the UK Singles Chart.
| rev3 = E!
| rev3score = C
| rev4 = Entertainment Weekly
| rev4Score = B+
| rev5 = The Guardian
| rev5Score =
| rev6 = IGN
| rev6score = 7.5/10
| rev7 = NOW
| rev7score =
| rev8 = RapReviews
| rev8score = 8/10
| rev9 = PopMatters
| rev9Score = 7/10 Entertainment Weekly awarded the album a B+ rating, describing it as "packed with the sort of undeniable pleasures only the most churlish thug could deny".
Commercial performance
Lost and found debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, selling 98,000 copies in its first week. The album reached number four on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
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! scope="row"| Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)
|align="center"|17
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!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
|align="center"|35
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Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
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! scope="col"| Chart (2005)
! scope="col"| Position
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! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 103
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! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
| 89
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