Will Smith made two important phone calls before recording new music. The actor and rapper shared in a recent interview that he reached out to Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar for advice before returning to the music industry with his 2025 album,

Will Smith returns to the charts with Based on a True Story, his first album since 2005, after consulting Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar.

Will Smith faced the most infamous moment of his career in March 2022 when, on what was meant to be his night of triumph at the Oscars, he ended up banned by the Academy for slapping Chris Rock . Three years later, he has used the notorious encounter for fuel on his new album Based on a True Story .