When I heard that Will Smith had recorded another album, I had wondered whether he was going to address the slap. To me great surprise, he did. And then some.
‘Based On A True Story’ his first full-length in two decades landed on 28 March. It truly wastes no time digging into the fallout from that now-infamous moment at the 2022 Oscars. The opening track, ‘Int. Barbershop – Day’, kicks things off with “Will Smith is cancelled” ringing out, before DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone trade jabs like they’re reading Twitter threads aloud.
The record doesn’t just nod at the controversy—it leans right in. On one verse, Smith calls out the public backlash: “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.” Elsewhere, he spits: “Him and Jada both crazy girl, what you talkin’ bout? / You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”
It’s a self-aware move, and one that walks the line between apology, defiance, and damage control. No surprise, considering Smith’s career since the slap has felt like one long PR triage.
The incident itself—if you somehow missed it—went down live on stage when Chris Rock cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, referencing G.I. Jane. Smith stormed the stage, slapped Rock, then returned to his seat and yelled: “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.” The clip instantly broke the internet and changed the tone of Smith’s career overnight.
Ahead of the album, Smith dropped four singles—‘Beautiful Scars’, ‘You Can Make It’, ‘Work Of Art’ (with Jaden and Russ), and ‘Tantrum’ featuring Joyner Lucas.
He’s now gearing up for his first ever headline tour, playing solo shows and festivals across Europe and the UK this August.
Whether the. comeback sticks—or just adds more fuel to the discourse—is anyone’s guess. But Smith clearly isn’t pretending it didn’t happen. He’s just rapping through it.
MORE IN Uncategorized
