The Album Will Smith Didn’t Want You to Ignore — But You Did
(April 11, 2025). Once upon a time, the embattled Hollywood superstar Will Smith was the beloved Fresh Prince whose raps were inescapable. Yes, they were squeaky clean and corny, but they were also platinum… family-friendly without a parental advisory sticker. In addition to the sitcom bearing his name, he had the No. 1 hits, the (first) rap Grammy, and even a DJ named Jazzy Jeff.
In 2025, after a 20-year recording hiatus and a public image still reeling from that Oscar slap (has Chris Rock forgiven him yet?), Smith made a much publicized return to what made him famous. He tried to bring Big Willie Style back, but this time with more than a G-rating.
His new album, Based on a True Story, was touted as his grand return to music… a personal take on all the headline-grabbing and cringey, not-so-family-friendly stories dogging the ubiquitous entertainer (mostly by his and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s own doing). This was to be Big Will reclaiming his story and he bet against long odds that we’d want to hear it on the 56-year-old multi-hyphenate’s terms.
The verdict? Based on a True Story not only failed to match Smith’s previous glory, it failed to chart at all. The album, released March 28, did not make any Billboard rankings in its first eligible week (charts dated April 12). For a man who once dominated both the box office and the boombox, this silence is deafening. Rarely has such a high-profile release — comeback or not — landed with such a whisper. Far more controversial (and hated) figures get more chart buzz (see Ye).
For perspective, these days all an album needs to make the anchor position on the Billboard 200 in any given week is about 7500 album-equivalent units (which takes into account physical sales plus streaming and downloads). Just 7500 units. Even T-Pain’s Greatest Hits (No. 194 on this week’s chart) managed to get that. Will Smith somehow didn’t (although he did manage a No. 79 debut in the U.K., go figure).
America’s rejection of True Story is hard to explain because this wasn’t just some SoundCloud soft launch. Smith teased the comeback with a documentary, a press push, and a teaser video featuring clips from his rollercoaster of a life — the Grammy wins, red carpet moments, even that night at the 2022 Oscars. But when the album dropped, the public delivered its verdict not with boos or praise — but with a yawn. Based on a True Story debuted at No. 3 on iTunes, sure, but in the streaming age, that’s like winning bronze in a two-man race. (Less than two weeks later it ranks No. 60 there.)
Should we be surprised at this outcome? Aside from the fact that the public has had its fill of Will in the past decade or so, very few rappers are still considered relevant at age 56. Fewer still would dare test those waters with new music (Eminem is the only rapper above age 50 to score a No. 1 album). Will Smith’s boldness in even trying deserves a nod. Most aging emcees either quietly hang up the mic (Jay-Z) or retreat to nostalgia tours. Even the Fresh Prince’s loyal crowd would likely take “Summertime” on endless repeat before it indulged this version of grown-up Will and his newfound introspection set to lo-fi modern beats.
To be fair, Smith didn’t give us “Men in Black, Part 5.” Based on a True Story is more diary than dance tracks — a somber, self-reflective project about mistakes, growth, and survival. It’s the kind of album you’d expect after a man has lived several lifetimes in the public eye — music made for catharsis, not the club. Will tackles everything from his iconic status to his cancellation and all the stuff in between, including his Grammy, his Oscar, his blockbuster films, his family, his invincibility, vulnerability, spirituality, looks, and his hometown. He even addresses his haters by taking a jab at their relative irrelevance when compared to his life.
As Will raps on eighth track, “Tantrum,” which might be the album’s best song, it’s about finding himself again and taking his chances.
Still, that catharsis landed with a thud. Reviews were mixed to brutal. One UK outlet called it “a self-help seminar in rhyme,” another said it felt like AI-generated therapy rap. And let’s face it: even Smith’s once-squeaky-clean persona — his former superpower that feels like a footnote today — can’t be erased in the hip-hop community by raps now bearing a parental advisory label.
This mature version of Will Smith feels out of sync with the Gen Z world of viral beefs, drill beats, and social media flexes. Will Smith battling himself and the rest of the world will never seem fresh in a culture still reeling from Kendrick v Drake. The chart failure of Based on a True Story proves that the Fresh Prince can’t reclaim the throne in a kingdom that’s long moved on.
This isn’t to erase what he once was. Will Smith helped hip-hop cross over in the 1980s. He was the first rapper to win a Grammy in ‘89. He gave the genre its first prime-time sitcom in 1990. He kept family-friendly hip-hop relevant in the gangsta rap era. He was, for a time, rap’s biggest mainstream ambassador — and later, Hollywood’s biggest star. His influence is undeniable.
But culture can be cruel to nostalgia when it’s encumbered with so much weight, regardless of how neatly packaged it is. A 56-year-old rapper bearing a tilted baseball cap, dark shades and a Philly letterman’s jacket on the album cover might have been enough to take us back to Will’s salad days had it not been for all that’s happened in between.
And maybe that’s the lesson here. Will Smith told his truth in Based on a True Story and it wasn’t all bad (nor was it lies). It just turns out that, in 2025, the public’s not all that interested in hearing it (again).
DJRob
DJRob (he/him) is a freelance music blogger from the East Coast who covers R&B, hip-hop, disco, pop, rock and country genres – plus lots of music news and current stuff! You can follow him on Bluesky at @djrobblog.bsky.social, X (formerly Twitter) at @djrobblog, on Facebook or on Meta’s Threads.
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