Hollywood star Will Smith has revealed he reached out to rapping icons Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar for guidance while working on his new music. The 56-year-old, in a recent interview on Sway in the Morning that before making his return to the music industry with the album Based on a True Story, he sought advice from both artists. “Before I started, I made two phone calls. I talked to Jay and I talked to Kendrick. I was like, ‘Hey, I want to get back in music. What’s the advice?’ ,” Will shared.
Recalling Jay-Z’s response, Will said, “Don’t fake your story.” He elaborated on the Empire State of Mind rapper’s advice, explaining that Jay-Z emphasised the importance of authenticity. “He was like, ‘You gotta say what’s true for you.’ He’s like, ‘You’ll be looking at the younger rappers and you want that to be true for you, but you don’t live like that.’ He was like, ‘Be true to your story. Tell your story’, ” Will said adding that after getting inspired by this conversation, Will decided the album’s title.
Meanwhile, Kendrick’s guidance followed a similar theme, urging Will to “say that s**t you’ve always been f****ng scared to say.” Reflecting on this, the Men in Black star admitted, “Basically the same thing. It was like, ‘Be honest.’ It was scary.”
He added, “That’s the thing with genre. Make the record you want to make. Don’t try to make the record that you think people will like you for. Make the one that’s authentic.”
Leading up to the album’s debut, Will took to Instagram to share his excitement about the long-awaited project. This marks Will’s first full-length release since Lost and Found in 2005. The 14-track album features collaborations with DJ Jazzy Jeff—his longtime music partner—along with Teyana Taylor and Jac Ross.
Will first introduced the project in January with the release of his single Beautiful Scars, a collaboration with Big Sean featuring Obanga. The album’s first two tracks directly address his highly publicized 2022 Oscars incident, during which he slapped comedian Chris Rock onstage after Chris made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. During the live broadcast, after striking Will, he returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!” Following the altercation, Will was banned from the Academy Awards for a decade.
The album’s opening track, Int. Barbershop — Day, acknowledges the backlash Will faced, including discussions about him being “canceled.” The lyrics include, “I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back/ And you know they only made him do that s**t because he’s Black.”
The second track, You Lookin’ for Me? sees Smith rapping, “Took a lot, I’m back on top/ Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated/ Won’t stop, my s**t still hot/ Even though I won’t get nominated.”
