Will Smith has officially returned to music with the release of Based on a True Story, his first studio album in two decades.
Out today (March 28), the album marks his first full-length project since 2005’s Lost and Found and arrives amid a wave of personal reflection and renewed creative energy for the multi-hyphenate star.
Smith began teasing the new project in 2023, slowly rolling out singles like “Beautiful Scars” featuring Big Sean, the high-energy anthem “Tantrum” with Joyner Lucas, the Teyana Taylor-assisted “You Can Make It,” and the introspective “Work of Art,” which features both Russ and Smith’s son, Jaden Smith.
The album reunites him with longtime collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff and is released through indie label Slang Records, with whom Smith signed a distribution deal last year.
“The past couple of years, I’ve been doing a very deep exploration of who and what I truly am,” Smith said in a teaser video posted on his Instagram on Thursday. “The process of this album is really allowing myself to be more honest with myself than I ever have about who and what I actually am. This is about to be the greatest artistic creative period of my entire life.”
Speaking with Sway in the Morning, Smith also revealed that the album title came from advice he received from Jay-Z. “You gotta say what’s true for you… Be true to your story. Tell your story,” Smith recalled. “And that’s where I got the ‘Based on a True Story’ [title] from.”
The 14-track album blends old-school hip-hop with modern production and themes of redemption, vulnerability, and identity. It also marks a public reentry into the cultural conversation for Smith, whose 2022 Oscars incident with Chris Rock put him in the global spotlight in a very different way. Rather than shy away from controversy, Based on a True Story tackles Smith’s journey head-on, balancing personal reckoning with polished, genre-spanning collaborations.
Smith’s comeback has also included high-profile live appearances, including a performance at Rock in Rio in 2024 that featured tracks from the new album alongside hits like “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” and “Summertime.” Earlier this month, he also announced a world tour kicking off in Europe this summer.
Based on a True Story is now streaming on all major platforms.
