Will Smith has revealed that he received some words of wisdom from both JAY-Z and Kendrick Lamar that he used to inspire his first album in 20 years.
During a live interview with Sway in the Morning held in his hometown of Philadelphia, the rapper and actor revealed that he phoned two people — Hov and Kendrick — for advice before recording his upcoming project, Based on a True Story.
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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.
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“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.”
Based on a True Story will be released this Friday (March 28) and serves as Will Smith’s first album since 2005’s Lost and Found.
He recently unveiled the 14-song tracklist which features appearances from old collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, as well as Big Sean, Teyana Taylor and his son Jaden, among others.
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The album is supported by a handful of singles including “Beautiful Scars,” “First Love” and the gospel-influenced “You Can Make It.”
Smith has also announced that he will be going on a world tour this summer in support of the project, visiting countries such as France, Spain and Italy.
He will also be stopping off for a stint in the UK, performing in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Scarborough.
The Based on a True Story Tour kicks off on June 25 in Morocco and runs all the way until September 2 when it wraps up in Paris. It is Smith’s first-ever solo headline tour.
Tickets are available here.
