Will Smith reveals the advice Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar gave him for new album

Will Smith revealed the advice given to him by Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar ahead of his return to music.

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The Men In Black star’s new record, ‘Based On A True Story’, was released on March 28 and marked his first full-length album since ‘Lost And Found’ in 2005. It features collaborations with artists such as Teyana Taylor and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Speaking on the show Sway In The Morning, Smith talked about his preparation for returning to rapping. “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?’”

He revealed Jay-Z’s reply: “Don’t fake your story”, recalling: “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 your story’”.

He then said that Lamar told him: “Say that shit you’ve always been fucking scared to say… 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”.

The album features a reference to the infamous incident at the 2022 Oscars, where he walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock following a joke the comedian made about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.

The opening track, ‘Int. Barbershop – Day’ starts with the phrase: “Will Smith is cancelled” before DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone, trade barbs about the rapper such as “Who the fuck Will Smith think he is?” and “I ain’t never going to forgive him for that shit he did”.

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