Will Smith's First Album In 20 Years Gets Release Date
The countdown to Will Smith's first album since the Bush administration is on.
The once-and-current rapper has slapped together five previously released singles and added nine other tracks for Based on a True Story, which streets on March 28. It's his first new disc since 2005's Lost and Found, which like three of his other four solo sets, reached the Top 10.
More from Deadline
Will Smith 'Matrix' Tease Not Related To New Film, Rather A Music Project
Will Smith Teases 'Hancock 2' & Reveals Zendaya Is Being Approached For A Role
"Suspicious Enough": Gene Hackman & Wife's Deaths Probed By Cops; Scattered Pills Found, No Gas Leak
'It's OFFICIAL!!' the erstwhile Fresh Prince wrote on Instagram. '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 set features several songs released in 2024 — 'Tantrum,' 'Work of Art,' 'First Love' and 'You Can Make It' — and this year's 'Beautiful Scars.' Among the other Based on a True Story tracks are album opener 'Int. Barbershop Day,' featuring Smith's old rap partner DJ Jazzy Jeff along with Simone, and 'Hard Times,' with Jac Ross. The album also includes 'Rave in the Wasteland,' 'You Lookin' for Me?' and 'Make It Look Easy.'
Watch the four-time Grammy winner and Oscar winner's debut performance of the hip-hop/gospel song 'You Can Make It' from the 2024 BET Awards here:
Smith got his start as part of the '80s rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, which broke out with the 1988 sophomore album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper that featured a pair of Top 20 pop singles in 'Parents Just Don't Understand' and 'A Nightmare on My Street.' After Smith began his run starring on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990, the duo had their biggest hit with 'Summertime,' which reach No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
After three more studio sets with DJ Jazzy Jeff, Smith went solo and scored with the smash debut set Big Willie Style, which arrived a year-plus after Independence Day made him a movie star. The album spawned the first of his two chart-topping singles, 'Gettin' Jiggy Wit It,' and went on to sell more than 9 million copies in the U.S. alone. He also hit No. 1 with the 'Wild Wild West,' the title track from his 1999 movie, and went on to release the albums Willennium in 1999 and Born to Reign in 2002.
Smith is set to perform live on March 23 after the CONCACAF Nations League final at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)
Best of Deadline
TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far
Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
Everything We Know About 'Freakier Friday' So Far
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
‘Not just a party:' World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display
After the raucous rainbow-hued festivities of Saturday's parade, the final day of World Pride 2025 in the nation's capital kicked off on a more downbeat note. Thousands gathered under gray skies Sunday morning at the Lincoln Memorial for a rally and protest march, as the community gathers its strength for a looming fight under President Donald Trump's second administration. 'This is not just a party,' Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance. 'This is a rally for our lives.' Smith acknowledged that international attendance numbers for the bi-annual World Pride were measurably down, with many potential attendees avoiding travel to the U.S. due to either fear of harassment or in protest of Trump's policies. 'That should disturb us and mobilize us,' Smith said. Protesters cheered on LGBTQ+ activists taking the stage while waving both traditional Pride flags and flags representing transgender, bisexual, intersex and other communities. Many had rainbow glitter and rhinestones adorning their faces. They held signs declaring 'Fight back,' 'Gay is good,' 'Ban bombs not bathrooms' and 'We will not be erased.' Trump's campaign against transgender protections and oft-stated antipathy for drag shows have set the community on edge, with some hoping to see a renewed wave of street politics in response. 'Trans people just want to be loved. Everybody wants to live their own lives and I don't understand the problem with it all,' said Tyler Cargill, who came wearing an elaborate costume with a hat topped by a replica of the U.S. Capitol building. Wes Kincaid drove roughly 6 hours from Charlotte, North Carolina to attend this year. Sitting on a park bench near the reflecting pond, Kincaid said he made a point of attending this year, 'because it's more important than ever to show up for our community.' Reminders of the cuts to federal government programs were on full display, Sunday. One attendee waved a pole bearing a massive rainbow flag along with a large USAID flag; another held a 'Proud gay federal worker' sign; and a third held an umbrella with the logos of various federal program facing cuts — including the PBS logo. Trump's anti-trans rhetoric had fueled fears of violence or protests targeting World Pride participants; at one point earlier this spring, rumors circulated that the Proud Boys were planning to disrupt this weekend's celebrations. Those concerns prompted organizers to install security fencing around the entire two-day street party on a multi-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue. But so far, the only clear act of aggression has been the vandalizing of a queer bar last week. Late Saturday night, there was a pair of violent incidents near Dupont Circle — one of the epicenters of the World Pride celebrations. Two juveniles were stabbed and a man was shot in the foot in separate incidents. The Metropolitan Police Department says it is not clear if either incident was directly related to World Pride. A cold rain began falling around noon Sunday as the rally speakers cut short their comments and prepared to march. Some attendees filtered away while others huddled under umbrellas and ponchos. 'Rain will not stop us, and after rain comes rainbows,' said one speaker from the stage. The speeches didn't just target the Trump administration or the Republican Party. Some turned their ire on Democratic politicians, who they say have wilted under the pressure of Republican control of the White House and both houses of Congress. 'We have to call out people who have abandoned our movement,' said Tyler Hack of the Christopher Street Project. 'Being a Democrat is more than carrying the party affiliation,' Hack added. 'It's about unapologetic support for the trans community.' While the main march headed toward the U.S. Capitol, a separate group splintered off and headed toward the White House, unfurling a large 'TRUMP MUST GO NOW' banner. Those who stayed to brave the weather said their presence amid less-than-ideal circumstances was vital. 'People are still out here, despite the rain, despite their exhaustion,' said Gillian Brewer, a university student studying physics from Silver Spring, Maryland. 'We're not going anywhere.' Brewer expressed some frustration that the turnout for Sunday's protest march was lower than for the World Pride parade the day before, which she decided to skip. 'This is more important,' Brewer added. 'You can party all you want but at the end of the day, the protest is why we can party.' Natalie Farmer, who traveled from San Diego with her wife, attributed the difference in numbers between the march and Saturday's parade to people being tired from celebrating the previous night. 'Some of us have to do the rallying to keep the party going,' Farmer said. 'We all fight in different ways.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘NCIS: Hawai'i' Alum Jason Antoon Shares Clip Of Canceled Show's Vacant Studio Lot
A year after NCIS: Hawai'i ended its three-season run on CBS, the state's film and TV industry continues to suffer a decline in business. Jason Antoon, who played cyber intelligence specialist Ernie Malik on the police procedural spin-off, recently shared a video of the series' vacant and overgrown Hollywood Film Studio, where shows like Lost (2004-'10), Hawaii Five-0 (2010-'20) and Magnum P.I. (2018-'24) also filmed. More from Deadline 'NCIS Hawai'i' Cast Joins Together On The Beach To Celebrate Series 'Rescue HI-Surf' Canceled By Fox After One Season '9-1-1' Eyes Hawaii As Setting For Potential New Spinoff On ABC 'Hawaii Film Studios – Empty and full of weeds,' wrote Antoon, sharing the clip Friday on X. Hawaii is an expensive location that is harder to fit into continuously trimmed TV budgets, especially in linear TV. Cost was among the factors for CBS' decision to cancel NCIS: Hawai'i after three seasons, despite being the #12 most watched non-sports program on broadcast, averaging 7.8 million linear viewers and 10M multi-platform viewers (Live+35). After the cancelation last April, Antoon wrote on Instagram, 'This business is brutal and makes no sense. But we had soooo much fun. Love you all and mahalo.' Hawaii Film Studios – Empty and full of weeds. #NCISHawaii #MagnumPI #Hawaii50 #Lost 😢 — Jason Antoon (@jasonantoon) June 7, 2025 The actor's latest post comes after Fox's Rescue HI-Surf, which also filmed in the Aloha State, was canceled after one season last month. Although CEO Rob Wade said the reason for the decision 'certainly wasn't the locale or the budget,' filming in Hawaii made it one of the network's more expensive dramas, coming in at close to $4 million per episode. Meanwhile, Hawaii was passed over as the locale for the next 9-1-1 spin-off, which is instead filming in Nashville, starring Chris O'Donnell and premiering this fall on ABC. On Friday, Gov. Josh Green, M.D. released an intent-to-veto list, which includes HB796, a bill that would sunset tax credits after five years. 'This bill would have a significant long-term impact on income tax credits across a variety of industries, including film and television, research, and renewable energy,' said Gov. Green of the veto. 'These tax credits are critical to supporting economic development and diversification, particularly within growing and emerging sectors. Categorically sunsetting income tax credits will not only disincentivize future investors from doing business in Hawai'i, but will destabilize existing businesses that currently rely upon these tax credits. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Brit Eady sues Bravo over explicit photo
'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Brit Eady sues Bravo over explicit photo Show Caption Hide Caption Phaedra Parks returning to Real Housewives of Atlanta Phaedra Parks is returning to Real Housewives of Atlanta after being gone for 6 seasons. Fox - 5 Atlanta Brit Eady is taking Bravo to court over the explicit photo incident that prompted Kenya Moore's exit from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Eady has filed a $20 million lawsuit against Bravo, NBC and the production companies Truly Original and Endemol Shine North America, accusing the defendants of defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light, sexual harassment and hostile work environment. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Bravo, NBCUniversal and Eady for comment. The lawsuit centers around an incident featured in an April episode of the reality show in which Moore revealed explicit photos, supposedly of Eady, on poster boards. The moment resulted in Moore being removed from the show, and the episode ended with a disclaimer that "based on Kenya's behavior, the decision was made to cease filming with her this season." 'Real Housewives of Atlanta': Reality show airs Kenya Moore's explicit photo incident that led to exit Eady says that the photos were not of her but that the episode falsely suggested they were. "The manner in which the episode was aired falsely yet unmistakably implied that the graphic sexual photograph presented by the cast member depicted (Eady)," the lawsuit said. "On information and belief, defendants knew that the photograph did not depict (Eady), or, at the least, were reckless or grossly negligent in failing to learn that the photograph did not depict (Eady). The lawsuit also alleged that the network refused to show Eady the photo before the episode aired. She accused the defendants of contributing to a "hostile work environment" and subjecting her to "unwelcome, offensive, and sexualized behavior and comments based on her gender by requiring her to continue working in an environment in which she had been subject to a gendered attack, creating an inferior condition or privilege of employment because of her gender." The suit calls for the episode to be removed from public platforms. Kenya Moore suspended indefinitely: She's off 'Real Housewives' amid 'revenge porn' allegations The same day that Eady's lawsuit was filed, Moore confirmed on X that she would not be taking part in a "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reunion taping happening on June 5. "Please know I take full accountability for my actions and deeply apologize to all those affected including Brittney, the cast, crew, guests and viewers," she said. "I look forward to seeing you all back on Bravo soon." Contributing: Taijuan Moorman
