Will Smith has had an interesting career, succeeding in the music and entertainment industry. He is a household name and someone many people look up to (although, thanks to the 2022 Oscars slapping incident involving Chris Rock, he did lose some followers). All this to say that when he announced his return to music, it was met with great excitement, and Smith dropped his new album, Based on a True Story, just last week.
The album is creating a buzz (it’s Smith’s first album since the 2005 album, Lost and Found). But after focusing on his acting for so long, did returning to the studio feel strange? Fans have questions they want answered, and in promoting his work, Smith will be giving them the access they desire by sitting down for multiple interviews, including a chat with Sway in the Morning. In his recent interview, Smith revealed he asked for help from Kendrick Lamar and Jay Z, and this advice even helped him decide on the title for his album.
“Before I started, I made two phone calls,” Smith said. “I talked to Jay and I talked to Kendrick. I was like, ‘Hey, I want to get back in music. What’s the advice?'” Jay Z responded by saying, “Don’t fake your story.” Smith continued: “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 you story.'”
Lamar had similar advice, telling Smith to be true to himself and “say that s*** you’ve always been f***ing scared to say.” He added, “Basically the same thing. It was like, ‘Be honest.’ It was scary. 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.” And some will feel that this is some of Smith’s most daring and personal work yet.
Fans React to Will Smith’s New Album With Messages of Praise
Smith has been excited about his album, as reflected by his Instagram, where he has heavily promoted it. When it was released on March 28, 2025, he shared the album cover and a short message, informing fans that it was “out now.”
It’s already attracted fan attention, and the comments appear favorable. “That intro on the album is pretty fire,” a comment reads. “Absolutely love it. That Rave in the wasteland track is amazing, so different from your usual stuff,” another fan shared. “Love that the first track is very JJFP style. I’ll be listening to this all weekend. Congrats on a great album Will.” There’s a lot more comments praising the musician for his work.
Is this the comeback we have been waiting for? And was the 20-year wait worth it?
