Will Smith releases a music album for the first time in 20 years

It includes 14 tracks

Will Smith returns to the music scene and presents his first album in 20 years. The record is titled «Based On A True Story».

«My new album Based On A True Story is out now,» Will wrote on his Instagram and showed the cover.

To work on the album, Smith reunited with his old colleague DJ Jazzy Jeff, as well as with artists Teyana Taylor, Joyner Lucas, and his son — Jaden Smith.

The actor said that the project turned out to be very personal. He started working on the album after several years of self-reflection and isolation.

Apparently, this refers to the scandal that occurred at the 2023 Oscars when the actor struck host Chris Rock over a joke about his wife.

«The last few years I have been deeply exploring who and what I really am. The process of creating this album really allowed me to be more honest with myself than ever before. It was the greatest creative period of my life,» Will said.

Let us recall that Will Smith became passionate about music as a teenager, and this interest quickly turned into a successful career.

In 1988, together with his rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, he won the prestigious Grammy Award for the hit «Parents Just Don’t Understand», becoming one of the first rap artists to receive this honor. In total, the artist released 13 albums, and his last music release — «Lost and Found» — came out in 2005.

After that, Smith decided to focus on his acting career, which brought him even greater fame. Interestingly, even before his musical success, he had a reputation as the «Prince» in his neighborhood due to his charisma and ability to make friends easily.

This nickname later became the foundation for his iconic TV series «The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air», which opened the doors to Hollywood for him.

 Photo: Elliott Muscat / Osvaldo Arias