Will Smith Addresses It All on First Album in 20 Years: Oscars, Grammys, Jada, and More

Will Smith leaps right into the fire in the opening seconds of his just-released new album Based on a True Story. Indeed, the album, his first since 2005’s Gold-certified Lost and Found, wastes no time playfully addressing the myriad topics fans and detractors alike are likely expecting to be given some lyrical space on the 14-track project, which counts features from Teyana Taylor and Jaden, among others.

The album opens with “Int. Barbershop - Day” featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone, an intro track with a runtime of under two minutes that imagines a barbershop conversation ultimately brought to an end by the surprise arrival of Smith himself.

 

 

 

 

 

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“Will Smith is canceled,” we hear right from the jump, a sentiment quickly retorted with “You can’t cancel an icon.” From there, we get direct mentions of his King Richard Oscar win in 2022 (“I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back, and you know they only made him do that shit because he’s Black”), Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock after the comedian’s joke about Jada Pinkett (“I ain’t never gonna forgive him for the shit he did” and “You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth”), Jaden and Willow (“He’s only still relevant because of his kids”), Grammys history (“He the first to win a Grammy for rap, that’s a fact’), and more.

Smith’s legacy is also discussed in the fictional barbershop back-and-forth, with references to the blockbuster Men in Black and Bad Boys franchises (as well as Aladdin), plus a mention of him having “one classic album.” Hear the track in full above. For the front-to-back album experience, this is where you need to be.

Smith sprinkles in mentions of several of these same issues throughout, albeit not as directly, including on the track “You Lookin’ For Me?” In that one, he expresses confidence about his work still being “hot” despite his assumption that he “won’t get nominated,” notably following that up with another mention of his and Jada's relationship, like so: “Personal life with my wife, mind your business, it’s complicated.”

In July, Smith will launch a run of headlining shows in support of the album, starting with a stop in Hamburg, Germany. See here for more dates and ticket info.