Based On A True Story

Will Smith has heard the chatter. So much of it, in fact, that the armchair punditry he apes on his <i>Based on a True Story</i> opener, “Int. Barbershop - Day”, sounds like it could be a field recording from any number of Black American gathering spaces. “Who the fuck Will Smith think he is?/And that boy damn crazy how he raising them kids,” goes a particularly cartoony quip. But that’s the beauty of Smith’s creative practice. Whether as star of television’s groundbreaking <i>The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air</i>, hunky lead of rom-coms like <i>Hitch</i> and even action flicks like the <i>Bad Boys</i> franchise, Smith has never had a problem poking fun at himself. But keep playing…and he’ll get serious quick. Which is exactly what happens on <i>Based on a True Story<i>, Smith’s first body of work following 2022’s infamous Chris Rock/Oscars altercation and his first full-length album since 2005’s <i>Lost and Found</i>. Once he gets the jokes out of the way, Smith is out to remind us that he can still rap, and maybe more importantly, that he’s one of the greatest entertainers of all time. The album is Smith doing him to the fullest extent of his abilities, revelling in a storied legacy of acting and rapping (“You Lookin’ For Me?”, “Bulletproof”, “Tantrum”), while affirming his faith and the respect he has for his status as a role model (“Beautiful Scars”, “Make It Look Easy”, “You Can Make It”). It’s no light lift, but as he states on “Work of Art”, he’s built for it: “Ima king no denying this/Every limit, I’m defying it/Everybody wanna be a lion/Until it’s time to do lion shit,” he raps. Say what you want about Will Smith—you probably already have—but if you let him tell the story, there’s gonna be a little bit of boasting and a whole of gratitude. And that’s as close to the truth as we’re gonna get.</i></i>