Sean John I Am King Review: Fragrance Royalty, or Celebrity Hype?

Sean John's I am King was released in late 2008 following the success of unforgivable. The company aimed to build on the success of its earlier fragrances, however, I am King falls short of this goal by bringing little to the table. Every new fragrance that comes out talks a good game about being original and daring. They all have a lot of hype, few back it up. I am king is no different, and the pretentious name does little to help the matter. With a name like that, one has certain expectations; the name implies a very high class scent that stands out in the crowd. Sean John's latest offering simply does not stand out as anything special or unique. It comes off more like an average low end cologne with a high price tag.

The fragrance list includes tangerine zest, orange, cranberry, French berry note, Mediterranean water accord, key lime, lemon, cedar, and vetiver. Few if any of these notes are actually detectible in this fragrance. The green and aquatic notes are missing leaving a very fruity citrus smell. At first spray, however, there are no notable citrus notes, but rather a synthetic recognizable scent of a common cologne. With all the hype, the celebrity endorsement, and the heavy price tag, the initial burst is astonishingly average and cheap smelling. The initial smell is like a strange assortment of scents that don't really go together and don't compliment each other. However, the opening notes are short lived and within 15 minutes or so you have a better idea of the base scent you will be wearing for the day. The top notes you smell when first applying a cologne, are not as important as the dry down scent you are left with, and Sean John's I am King has better base notes than top notes. The base smells better than the opening, but it's not enough to save this fragrance from the discount shelves.

After the dry down, king has a pleasant fruit smell that's not unlike an apricot body wash or scrub. While it does have a light somewhat feminine fruit scent, there is an element that somehow retains the masculinity of the cologne. It's a soft male fragrance that sits close to the skin, so it won't make you stand out in the room, but it will make you smell nice in close romantic situations. The problem is that if you are paying for a designer fragrance, you aren't looking to smell "nice." If you're spending top dollar for cologne, you should get something that gets attention and stands out from the pack. I am King does neither. With so many affordable fragrances on the market that excel far beyond Sean John, this one should be left on the shelf.