Will Smith turns his infamous Oscars 2022 incident into art, rapping about the Chris Rock slap in his latest album, Based on a True Story.
In March 2022, the world watched in shock as Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars, overshadowing his win for Best Actor in King Richard. The altercation, sparked by a joke Rock made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, led to a decade-long ban from the Academy and Smith’s resignation.
Now, three years later, Smith confronts the controversy head-on. The album opens with the bold declaration, “Will Smith is cancelled,” before diving into raps that include, “I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back.”
The second track, You Lookin’ for Me?, sees Smith reflecting on his comeback with lines like, “Took a lot, I’m back on top / Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated.”
While Chris Rock kept quiet for a while, he eventually addressed the slap in his Netflix special Selective Outrage, suggesting Smith’s anger was more about the public scrutiny of his marriage than the joke itself.
Smith’s new album blends personal reflection with his comeback story, offering fans a chance to hear his side of the story—three years after the unforgettable Oscars scandal.
