Will Smith To Return With New Album After 20 Years

By: Nadia Commodore

For the first time in over 20 years, actor, rapper, and film producer Will Smith is fully returning to the music scene with his fifth studio album Based On A True Story.

In an Instagram post announcing the album, Smith expressed his excitement for the project. 

“Been working on this project for a minute and I’m itchin’ to get it out to y’all,” said Smith. According to BET, the tracklist for Based On A True Story, which will be released on March 28, includes 13 songs with features from major artists like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor, and Smith’s son, Jaden. 

In an interview with Billboard, Smith stated that he chose the features on his album based on who he felt supported him after the 2022 Academy Awards.

 “It’s people who were with me during my difficult time after the Oscars … So this first round of collabs are friends and allies,” he said. 

Smith is referring to the 2022 Oscars incident in which he slapped and verbally assaulted comedian Chris Rock for commenting about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. According to The Guardian, Smith has been attempting to “rebuild his career” since the occurrence with films such as Ride or Die, the fourth movie in the Bad Boys franchise.

The article pointed out the film had "earning[s] over $400m, considerably more than its $100m budget.” Smith addresses the event in his new single “Beautiful Scars”, which is featured on the album.

HU first-year pre-nursing major and 90s music lover Sophia Hoffler shared her thoughts on how the incident may, or may not, influence how audiences respond to Smith’s new album. 

“I think the incident definitely shifted people’s perception of Will Smith, but I think enough time has passed for people to be able to see him the way they did before, and I think the album may even help improve his image a bit,” said Hoffler. 

Fans wonder how Smith’s sound will change, being that the rap genre has evolved greatly since his last album Lost and Found which was released in 2005. Hoffler shared her thoughts on the matter.

“I think it’s exciting! His 90s style would appeal to those who listened to him during that time, but modern elements would broaden his audience to younger listeners,” she said. 

In his Billboard interview, Smith stated that this album is one of three projects that will be released this year as part of a continuous storyline. “What I decided to do is separate the material into seasons like a television show. So I’m releasing three seasons of this television musical show and calling the 10 tracks for each season “episodes” instead of songs,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

The album will also be followed by the rapper’s first summer headlining tour throughout the UK and Europe, with the first date being June 25.