Will Smith has announced that his new album Based On A True Story will drop on March 28 — two decades almost to the day from his last one.
On Friday (March 14) the veteran superstar shared the news on Instagram, along with the album cover and track list, the latter of which is divided into “episodes” instead of songs. Features include DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor, and Smith’s son Jaden.
“It’s OFFICIAL!!” Smith captioned the post. “My new album Based On A True Story drops March 28. TWO WEEKS!! Hit that presave. Been working on this project for a minute and I’m itchin’ to get it out to y’all.”
Smith’s last LP was Lost and Found, released on March 29, 2005. Check out the album announcement post below.
Last month, Smith revealed that he and Prince once discussed the idea of launching an entertainment company with JAY-Z – but the legendary singer went on to pass away just hours later.
While appearing on the Broken Record podcast with Justin Richmond, Will revealed he’d not only had that moment with Prince before his passing in 2016, but that he’d also met Biggie Smalls just hours before he passed in 1997.
“I talked to Prince eight hours before he died,” he elaborated. “He called and he was pitching. He was saying that me, him and JAY-Z should start an entertainment company. And he said that he had talked to Jay and he wanted to do it. We talked that night and in the morning – he was gone.”
Will Smith and JAY-Z have since worked together in multiple capacities, but it has been through their respective companies joining forces as opposed to operating under one company together.
In 2020, Jay’s Roc Nation and Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment linked up to bring the story of Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till Mobley to the small screen.
The limited series was announced on the 65th anniversary of Till’s killing at the hands of two white men in Mississippi on August 28, 1955. The Chicago teen’s casket remained open at his funeral at the request of Mobley who wanted attendees to see how her son was brutalized and mutilated. Till’s death played a major role in inspiring the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
And in 2021, the pair of entertainment moguls invested in the startup Landis Technologies, which aims to help turn thousands of renters into homeowners.
Roc Nation and Smith’s Dreamers VC were part of a group of investors that helped Landis raise over $165 million. The influx of cash will go toward purchasing about 1,000 homes. The company will then rent the home to low-income families until they qualify for a mortgage.
Hard pass
That’s because you’re racist against persons of color. Persons of color deserve our support. Hence why we vote for Kamala and Clinton… to protect persons of color. Us whites are tasked with protecting them. And protect them we will, but voting DEMOCRAT!!!!
Cool story bro. Now put the fries in the bag, it’s getting late
The Fresh Simp of Affair? No thanks.
He gets owned in the daily by jada. I would feel sorry for him if he didn’t commit domestic violence on television.
Do you know what “domestic violence” means? He didn’t hit his wife. He hit Chris rock.
No one wants to see or hear you Will. I swear Hollywood just won’t stop pushing this guy everything he’s involved with is awful movies, tv, and now back to music. You’re not it will
He should do it as “The Fresh Prince”. That was the version of Will we all liked. Once he started getting too far into “sexy, superhero, Will Smith” it wasn’t fun anymore.
Ill listen to it if the first verse on the first song is an apology to Chris Rock. Sidenote, terrible album cover.
UMG release this have Kendrick do a few features again and you’ll have saved Will’s career. Look all the Kenbots are avoiding dissing Carti now.
Greg stop letting Kendrick live rent free in your head and drakes kids live rent free in your mouth.
Damn, Will dropped the ball again. He should have done the fresh prince & DJ jazzy Jeff. Put a lot of the 80’s/90’s mc’s on the album, old school and a few new school. Then toured with it… he could have helped out people of his era. No one wants to hear Will Smith rap, but the Fresh Prince moniker with spitting fun and hard bars might have sold 100,000 strong. That’s if he’s doing it for fun/.
10 years ago would have worked Kid N Play for instance then some new guys like Cole and Drake
Some dope comments below. “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper” is one of the most underrated albums ever, and its aged better than anything Eminem ever put out.
Mack 10 already had an album Based On A True Story…where’s the originality?
2 chainz had 2 albums called based on a true story.
Trick Daddy had an album called Based on a True Story
Why isn’t he and Jay in jail lock them up with Obama and free Kells and Puff and Durk
Get Kendrick then it’ll get attention make him a surprise feature let him direct like he did on Carti’s album.
his songs/features in the past 5-10 years were trash. cheap trap/latin beats, super annoying features.
tracklist looks not promising. my expectations are very low.
i was a big fan of his 2005 album. how did he wait 20 years for an upcoming failure?!
i do think he still sounds good at rapping, but the music is just not right.
Playboy farti, semen drizzy Drake, wack Kendrick, gay ye, Doom, Gayselda, Wu, Nas, Jay, 50, Em, Andre 3000 and all these other lames need to take a seat, and observe what Oreo excellence is all about. The Prince (ahem, KING now) is back! Welcome back King! This your time! Greatest movie and musical comeback! It’s time to make hip hop great again!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Finally some real hiphop. Said no one