Based on a True Story is the fifth studio album by American actor and rapper Will Smith. It was released on March 28, 2025, through Slang Recordings.[1] This marks Smith's return to music after 20 years since his 2005 album, Lost and Found.[2] The album features collaborations with Big Sean, Russ, Joyner Lucas, and Smith's own son, Jaden among others. Preceding its release are the singles "Beautiful Scars" (with Big Sean), "Work of Art" includes contributions from both Russ and Jaden and "Tantrum" (featuring Joyner Lucas).
Will Smith announced his fifth studio album, Based on a True Story, on Instagram, confirming its scheduled release for March 2025.[3][4] Ahead of the album's launch, he introduced several singles, including the lead track, "Beautiful Scars", featuring rapper Big Sean, which debuted in late January 2025. The song's music video draws inspiration from the 1999 film The Matrix, with Smith portraying Neo—a role he previously turned down—while Big Sean appears as Morpheus.[5] The video incorporates iconic elements from the film, such as the red and blue pill choice, symbolizing themes of self-reflection and personal growth.[6]
In a July 2024 interview, Smith described the album as his most personal and impactful work, highlighting its central message of finding resilience in difficult times, encapsulated in the phrase "Dance in your darkest moments".[7]Based on a True Story features multiple collaborations. Smith's return to music has generated considerable attention, particularly given his extended break from the industry following the Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident.[8] Smith also attended the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on February 2, 2025, marking his first major awards show appearance since the slapping controversy.[9][10]
Musical style
Departing from the "snappy, commercial hooks" of Smith's previous pop rap albums,[11]Based on a True Story has "richer, more emotionally layered" hip-hop tracks, also incorporating pop and gospel.[12][13]
Based on a True Story received mostly mixed to negative reviews from critics.[24][17][25] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 40, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average" reviews.
Tara Joshi of The Independent awarded the album 2 out of 5 stars, and felt it lacked innovation: "It seems fair for Smith to want to exorcise the past few years, unpacking his perceived mistreatment by both the press and the public. It's just a shame that he's chosen to do it with quasi-inspirational songs that lack energy."[17]
Similarly, Clash writer Robin Murray rated the project 3 out of 10, describing it as superficial: "An often-insubstantial record, Based on a True Story doesn't offer much beyond surface-level engagement. If Will Smith aimed to candidly express his emotions, the album misses the mark; instead, it comes across as a disjointed and ineffective endeavor."[16]
Writing for Pitchfork, Stephen Kearse stated that Based on a True Story is a stunt of sorts, it "lacks the easy repose of an artist in their comfort zone, or the playfulness of one cutting loose in their sanctum. It is a campaign platform, devoid of perspective or style, uninterested in narrative or even spin, but always on message: Please take me back."[20]
Commercial performance
Based on a True Story was the first album from Smith that failed to chart in any major territory.[26] In the UK, the album did not appear on the UK Albums Chart, although it did chart for one week at number 79 on the UK Album Downloads Chart. Media reports noted that this chart placement was a result of 36 digital downloads in the album's first week of release.[27]
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