Will Smith to release first album in 20 years in a matter of days
In January, the Oscar-winning actor teamed up with Big Sean for the track 'Beautiful Scars'.
Smith is now set to release the 10 track record, Based on a True Story, on 28 March. It's the 56-year-old's first album since 2005's Lost and Found.
On Instagram, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air star wrote: 'It's OFFICIAL!! My new album Based On A True Story drops March 28. TWO WEEKS!! Hit that presave. Been working on this project for a minute and I'm itchin' to get it out to y'all.'
The album also has a subtitle Season 1: RITW which hints that there could be more music to follow.
On 'Beautiful Scars', the Men In Black star references his struggles with life in the spotlight and the importance of learning from one's mistakes.
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The music video for the song plays on the classic sci-fi film The Matrix, with Smith (playing Neo, the role made famous by Keanu Reeves) offered either a red pill or a blue pill by Big Sean (Morpheus, originally played by Laurence Fishburne).
In 2019, Smith shared a video on his YouTube channel where he said he turned down the role of Neo in 1997 because the pitch from the Wachowski siblings didn't appeal to him. The filmmaking duo apparently tried to pitch Smith on the filmmaking style rather than the plot.
Previous singles 'You Can Make It', 'Work of Art' and 'TANTRUM' will all appear on the record, which features guest appearances by DJ Jazzy Jeff, B Simone, Jac Ross, Obanga and Teyana Taylor.
Smith has slowly started making tentative steps back into the public spotlight after slapping Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.
He later issued a full apology that said Rock's joke about Pinkett Smith's baldness, a result of alopecia, had been 'too much' for him to bear.
'Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear emotionally,' he said. 'I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.
'There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.'
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