Hollywood actor Will Smith is revisiting the controversy surrounding his infamous slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars head-on in his newly released album, Based on a True Story. The album, which dropped on Friday, wastes no time addressing the incident, with the opening track, Int. Barbershop — Day, beginning with the phrase: ‘Will Smith is canceled’. Also read: Will Smith ‘hates’ Chris Rock ‘for ruining his life’ after Oscars slap incident
Will Smith addresses Oscars slap in new album
According to Variety, the album features Will’s Fresh Prince collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff and B Simone. It comes with different voices stating rumours 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 s**t he did.”
The track 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 s**t because he’s Black.” While Will did not have to return his Oscar, he was banned from attending any event related to the organization for 10 years.
The song later references Will’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.”
The second track titled You Lookin’ for Me? also hints at the scandal. Will raps: “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.”
The album marks Will’s first full-length solo music project in 20 years, with his last release being 2005’s Lost and Found. However, it has not been the actor and rapper’s first major project since the slap. He was seen in the historical drama Emancipation and Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
About Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident
In March, during Oscars 2022, Will walked up to the stage and smacked Chris after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” Chris had said, referring to Demi Moore’s 1997 film GI Jane, in which Demi’s character Jordan O’Neil shaved her head after joining Navy Seal. Jada revealed on her talk show a few years ago that she decided to shave her head after she was diagnosed with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder.
Will reacted by walking up on stage and slapping Chris across the face. When the actor returned to his seat, he shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” Later in the show, Will returned to the stage to accept the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. Following the incident, Will was banned from attending any Academy Award event for the next 10 years. The punishment came after the actor resigned from the academy. He also resigned his Academy membership and apologised, saying he was “deeply remorseful” for his actions.
