Will Smith made two important phone calls before recording new music. The actor and rapper shared in a recent interview that he reached out to Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar for advice before returning to the music industry with his 2025 album,

Will Smith's first album since 2005, 'Based on a True Story,' is full of self-help talk and a cocky sense of self-forgiveness, but not enough fun.

Among the topics mentioned on Smith's new album is his first Oscar win in 2022 and the now-infamous incident in which he slapped Chris Rock during that awards ceremony, leading to his 10-year ban from the event and rumors the award would be rescinded. In the end, Smith was not asked to return the award.