Will Smith wastes no time addressing his Chris Rock Oscars slap on new album “Based on a True Story,” which released on Friday. In fact, the project’s first track, “Int. Barbershop — Day,” opens with the phrase: “Will Smith is canceled.”
The song, which features Smith’s Fresh Prince collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone, sees differently-pitched voices trade rumors and opinions about the actor and rapper in a freestyle manner. “Who the f**k Will Smith think he is?” one voice asks, to which another replies: “I ain’t never going to forgive him for that sh*t he did.”
Smith became embroiled in controversy after slapping Rock onstage during the 2022 Oscars telecast. The comedian was presenting when he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith reacted by walking up on stage and slapping Rock across the face. When the actor returned to his seat, he shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!” Later on in the show, Smith returned to the stage to accept the Oscar for best actor for his performance in “King Richard.”
“Int. Barbershop — Day” tackles the Oscars controversy more directly with the lyrics: “I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back/ And you know they only made him do that sh*t because he’s Black.” However, Smith did not have to return his Oscar — the Academy instead banned him from attending any event related to the organization for 10 years. Smith also resigned his Academy membership and issued an apology, saying that he was “deeply remorseful” for his actions.
The song later references Smith’s infamous response to Rock’s joke with the line: “Him and Jada both crazy girl, what you talkin’ bout?/ You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”
Second track “You Lookin’ for Me?” also hints at the scandal. Smith raps: “Took a lot, I’m back on top/ Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated/ Won’t stop, my shit still hot/ Even though I won’t get nominated.” Smith’s ban from Academy events does not affect his eligibility for future Oscar nominations, though it does seem unlikely.
“Based on a True Story” marks Smith’s first full-length solo music project in 20 years, with his last release being 2005’s “Lost and Found.” However, it is not the actor and rapper’s first major project since the slap. Months later, Smith navigated a limited promotional cycle for his next prestige picture, Apple’s historical drama “Emancipation.” Last summer, he co-starred with Martin Lawrence in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the fourth entry in Sony’s buddy cop franchise was a box office hit, earning more than $400 million worldwide.
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