The 56 Year Old Grammy Winning Actor and Rapper Announced on Instagram That He Will Be Releasing His Fifth Album
The 56 year old Grammy winning actor and rapper announced on Instagram that he will be releasing his fifth album, Based On A True Story, on March 28th. “It’s OFFICIAL!!” he writes,
“My new album, Based On A True Story, drops on 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”.
This Is Smith’s First Album Since 2005’s Lost & Found
Writer Jennifer Zhan, in her 2025 article for Vulture, “The Fresh Prince Is Releasing A New Album After 20 Years”, writes, “Titled Based on a True Story, the upcoming album features collaborations with DJ Jazzy Jeff, B. Simone, Jac Ross, Teyana Taylor, and Obanga. Art for the project describes each of the 14 tracks — including some previously-released songs like ‘You Can Make It’ and ‘Work of Art’…” Smith has largely been out of the music spotlight, conquering Hollywood over the last two decades with roles in films such as The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), I Am Legend (2008), Collateral Beauty (2016), Aladdin (2019), and his Academy Award winning role in King Richard (2021).
Smith’s Rise to Fame in The 80’s
The Philadelphia born hip hop icon rose to fame in the mid-late 1980’s alongside Jeffrey “DJ Jazzy Jeff” Townes as the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The duo had a plethora of hits, including “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble” (1986), “Summertime” (1991), and their signature song, “Parents Just Don’t Understand” (1988); the latter made them the first rap group in history to win a Grammy Award in 1989 for Best Rap Performance.
Smith Launched Acting Career in 1990
In 1990, Smith launched his acting career with his role in the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, a role that turned him into a household name. He continued to work in music, launching his solo career in 1997 with his debut album Big Willie Style featuring his first Billboard #1 hit “Getting Jiggy With It”, winning the rapper/actor a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. Smith’s other early hits include, “Men In Black” (1997), “Miami (1998), and “Switch” (2005).
Throughout these 20 years, Smith has made occasional live televised performances. Last year, at the annual BET Awards, he made his performance debut with a resounding performance of a song from his upcoming album, “You Can Make It”. Writers Larisha Paul and Althea Legaspi, in their 2024 article for Rolling Stone, “Will Smith Delivers Uplifting Performance of ‘You Can Make It’ at BET Awards”, writes, “The actor made a rare live appearance at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday to perform his newly-released single “You Can Make It.” The record, which features Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir, finds Smith coming out of his unofficial rap retirement to coach listeners through overcoming hardships and adversity.”
Based On A True Story comes out March 28th.
