Will Smith is putting it all on the table on his first album in over 20 years, Based On A True Story.
Released on Friday (March 28), the new LP finds Will addressing various headlines about himself over the years, from his marital issues with Jada Pinkett Smith to the infamous Chris Rock slap at the 2022 Oscars.
The opening track features DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone and is made out to be a barbershop type of convo, where lines like, “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” and, “He’s only still relevant because of his kids,” are sprinkled in.
And on the song “You Lookin’ For Me?” he brings up Jada when he raps: “Personal life with my wife – mind your business, it’s complicated.”
During a live interview with Sway in the Morning held in his hometown of Philadelphia, Will Smith revealed that he phoned two people — JAY-Z and Kendrick Lamar — for advice before recording the new album.
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According to Smith, his conversation with the Roc Nation mogul was so impactful that it inspired the name of the album.
“I was like, ‘Hey, I want to get back in music.’ Jay said like, ‘Don’t fake your story.’ He was like, ‘You gotta say what’s true for you,’” he recalled.
“And he says, ‘You’ll be looking at the younger rappers and you want that to be true for you, but you don’t live like that.’ It was like, ‘Be true to your story. Tell your story.’ And that’s where I got the Based on a True Story, from Jay.”
The Fresh Prince then revealed the advice that Kendrick gave him.
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“Kendrick, he paused. He said, ‘Man, just say that shit you always been fucking scared to say.’ Kendrick said that. Basically the same thing. And it was like, ‘Be honest. Be honest,’” he said.
“It was scary to like, just say [that stuff]. And that’s the thing with genre. Make the record you wanna make, don’t try to make the record that you think people will like you for. Make the one that’s authentic.”
