- Will Smith isn’t shying away from his 2022 Oscars slap scandal with Chris Rock in his new music
- Smith’s album Based on a True Story is out now and calls out the actor for being “canceled”
- The lyrics and aside call outs include more direct references to the infamous slap moment
Will Smith isn’t afraid to get into the nitty gritty of his scandals in his new album Based on a True Story.
The Bad Boys: Ride or Die actor, 56, wasted no time addressing one of his biggest scandals over the last few years — his infamous 2022 Oscars slap of comedian Chris Rock — in the first few tracks of his new album.
Smith slapped Rock, who was presenting onstage during the live show in response to a joke Rock had made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The actor then returned to his seat and shouted to Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—— mouth!”
The opening line of the first song on the album “Int. Barbershop — Day,” a voice could be heard saying, “Will Smith is canceled” — possibly referring to the media firestorm he experienced after the incident. Another voice could be heard at a different point, saying, “I ain’t never going to forgive him for that s— he did.”
Throughout the song featuring collaborators B. Simone and DJ Jazzy Jeff, with whom Smith first made his mark in music, other voices could be heard gossiping about the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, and a few lines referenced the incident directly: “Him and Jada both crazy, girl, what you talkin’ bout?/ You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”
Elsewhere in the song, someone else could be heard saying, “I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back/ And you know they only made him do that s— because he’s Black.”
Smith — who won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard — did not have to return his award, but he was banned from attending any Academy Award events for 10 years following the incident. He also resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, saying at the time, that he fully accepted “any and all consequences for my conduct.”
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In his second song, “You Lookin’ for Me?,” Smith once again references the fallout from the incident, rapping, “Took a lot, I’m back on top/ Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated/ Won’t stop, my s— still hot/ Even though I won’t get nominated.”
Based on a True Story is Smith’s first album in 20 years since 2005’s Lost and Found. He first announced that he would be releasing a new album when he unveiled his latest single, “Beautiful Scars,” in January. The track is a collaboration with Big Sean featuring Obanga.
Other previously-released singles included on the new record include “Work of Art,” which features his son Jaden Smith and Russ, “Tantrum,” featuring Joyner Lucas and “You Can Make It,” which Smith performed at the 2024 BET Awards.
In a teaser video he shared hours ahead of the album’s release, Smith opened up about the album alongside home videos of him over the past few decades. He said, “The past couple of years, I’ve been doing a very deep exploration of who and what I truly am.”
“The process of this album is really allowing myself to be more honest with myself than I ever have about who and what I actually am,” he continued. “This is about to be the greatest artistic creative period of my entire life.”
Based on a True Story is out now.
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