Will Smith is more devoted to music than ever ahead of new album ‘Based on a True Story’

Whoever said rap is a young man’s sport was wrong for doubting that the genre’s OGs don’t have something to say. Will Smith is proof that after nearly four decades in entertainment, there is no better time than now to unleash his new album Based on a True Story. The studio effort is his first body of work since 2005’s Lost and Found and will be available to fans on March 28.

The release date was revealed on Friday (March 14) in an Instagram post. “Been working on this project for a minute, and I’m itchin’ to get it out to y’all,” the box office juggernaut told his 69.5 million followers. The 14-track record lists guest appearances from longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, B. Simone, Rave Sermon, Jan Ross, Teyana Taylor, Obanga, YCMI Sermon, his son Jaden Smith and WOA Sermon.

The movie icon warmed up audiences for his big musical return in September 2024 when he debuted “You Can Make It” featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir. That single, along with “First Love,” “Beautiful Scars,” “TANTRUM” and “Work of Art,” also made the cut. In February, the four-time Grammy Award winner spoke with the “Broken Record Podcast” about returning to his first love.

Admittedly, Smith said that “music kind of took a little bit of a back seat” as he rose to superstar level with the hit TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and films. “I’ve actually never concentrated on music the way that I’ve wanted to. Music was always second to the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ or it was second even when I got things to go together like ‘Men in Black.’ … Music was always the mistress, and she doesn’t like that. So, I’m trying to devote to her,” he dished.

Will is abandoning his “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” era to offer fans a raw look at him beyond the celebrity gaze

“In one arena I’m a seasoned artist, and then in this new space I’m like brand new,” the multi-hyphenate talent said on the podcast. “The way I’m creating my current music is anything that sparks, I’m making a song,” Smith explained. He further shared that he “used to be directed by what I thought would land, and so now I’m not paying attention to whether it lands or not. I’m only focusing on an accurate expression of whatever came up for me.”