Will Smith’s new album is all about slapping Chris Rock, but netizens are unimpressed; ‘unlike Will, this does not slap’

2022 was anything but ordinary. From Johnny Depp’s courtroom victory over Amber Heard to the viral Negroni sbagliato trend, Hollywood had no shortage of headline-making moments. Yet, one of the most shocking incidents of the year was when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Academy Awards — a moment that overshadowed the entire ceremony and left the entertainment industry reeling. Now, Smith is turning to music to share his perspective. The actor has released his first album in nearly two decades; titled Based on a True Story, the album offers leners a raw and introspective look at his journey, including the fallout from that infamous night. Will Smith’s new album is about the Oscars slap What happened at the 94th Academy Awards? During the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, Will Smith walked onstage and struck Rock during his presentation for Best Documentary Feature. The slap was in response to an off-the-cuff joke Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, referencing G.I. Jane (1997), in which Demi Moore’s character had a similar look. Jada had openly discussed her struggles with alopecia, making the joke particularly sensitive. After the slap, Smith returned to his seat and shouted profanities at Rock, who briefly addressed the moment before continuing with his presentation. Later that night, Smith won Best Actor for King Richard (2021). While he apologised to the Academy and fellow nominees in his acceptance speech, he did not mention Rock. The following day, he publicly apologized to Rock and the Academy via social media. Smith later resigned from the Academy and was subsequently banned from attending Academy events, including the Oscars, for the next 10 years. Smith addressed this controversy in the albumOn the track You Lookin’ For Me?, Smith addresses the aftermath of the Oscars controversy: “Took a lot, I’m back on top, y’all gon’ have to get acclimated / Won’t stop, my s–t’s still hot even though I won’t get nominated / Personal life with my wife, mind your business, it’s complicated.” The album also features interludes mimicking public discourse around Smith’s actions, reflecting the divided opinions on his behavior. “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,” one voice remarks. Another takes direct aim at the incident: “Him and Jada both crazy, girl, what you talkin’ bout / You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.” The lyrics and skits highlight how Smith was temporarily “cancelled” in the court of public opinion, with some still unwilling to forgive him. Netizens reactNetizen reactions were all over the place. While some tried to stand up for the Fresh Prince, many were of the opinion that the album and most of Smith’s recent work was “trying too hard”. One comment on Reddit read, “I think that’s what holds his music back. Tracks like You Can Make It, Work of Art, Rave in the Wasteland really seem like he’s interested in making positive, uplifting music, but I’m not really interested in hearing that from him. First Love seems like it’s supposed to be a deeper reflection of love, and quite frankly, Will doesn’t really seem like he’s capable of examining that.” Another comment was, “Yea, besides the intro, I doubt I’ll remember any of this tomorrow. It seems like he only made it to try and clean up his image and show him going back to his roots after everything spiralled downwards for him after the slap incident. Everything is very generic, even the bad parts of this album are what you’d expect to be bad. It has a lot of the same issues that you experience with rappers that are generally labeled as “corny”. Everything Smith does sounds off. It’s like he is only making stylic choices if it’s something popular, and doesn’t understand why it was good in the first place, so he just ends up pulling it off poorly.” Another comment kept it simple saying, “Unlike Will Smith – this does not slap.” With Based on a True Story, Smith is trying to reclaim a narrative that the audience is not willing to part with. Will the album garner success in its mission, or will this actor’s five minutes of fame rest on the slap that sounded through the industry?