Latest news with #SundayServiceChoir
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Will Smith Can't Get Enough of ‘Pretty Girls' on New Single
Will Smith has a real problem on his hands: he can't get enough of 'Pretty Girls.' He details his addiction on the fun new song, which dropped today and follows his fifth album, Based on a True Story. Smith's new song is catchy and light, a summer anthem from the actor-rapper. Produced by OmArr and Lexoskeleton, Smith details his love for women over a bouncy beat, showcasing no limits to the types of girls he defines as pretty. More from Rolling Stone Will Smith's Overwrought Comeback Album Is Our Fault Will Smith Addresses the Chris Rock Slap On New Single Will Smith Announces First-Ever Headlining Tour Ahead of New Album, 'Based on a True Story' The video kicks off with Smith in a therapy session, telling his doctor that he's had the same problem since he was a little boy. After she probes him to explain what the problem is, he gets a big grin on his face as the video transitions into him surrounded by a number of dancers and models. In March, Smith dropped his first album in 20 years, Based on a True Story. The album features DJ Jazzy Jeff, his son Jaden, Teyana Taylor, Big Sean, and more. His single 'You Can Make It' featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir topped the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart. This summer, Smith will embark on his first-ever headlining tour. He'll be playing a run of theatres and festivals around the UK and Europe beginning June 28th at Les Déferlantes Festival in France. The shows will run through July and August, wrapping at Paris venue Zénith. No North American dates have been announced yet. After a prolific run starring in big budget films, Smith has slowed down on acting since he won an Oscar for portraying tennis stars' Venus and Serena Williams' dad in King Richard. His most recent role was the fourth installment of his successful Bad Boys film franchise, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, last year. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Will Smith addresses Chris Rock Oscars slap in new album 'Based on a True Story'
Will Smith is back in his music bag, releasing his first full-length album in two decades. "Based on a True Story" features 14 tracks, with appearances by Teyana Taylor, DJ Jazzy Jeff and comedian/social media personality B. Simone. The latter two appear on the intro track, "Int. Barbershop - Day." In a video Smith shared on Thursday teasing the new project, he states that the "process for this album is really allowing myself to be more honest with myself than I ever have about who and what I actually am." Will Smith and Tatyana Ali recreate iconic 'Fresh Prince' dance scene amid album announcement "This is about to be the greatest artistic, creative period of my entire life," he adds. 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. Following the Oscars slap, Smith apologized to Rock in a video shared on social media. Nearly a year after the incident, Rock addressed the slap in his Netflix special, "Selective Outrage." "I'm going to try to do a show tonight without offending nobody. I'm going to try my best, because you never know who might get triggered," he said at the time. "People always say words hurt. Anybody who says words hurt has never been punched in the face." In "Int. Barbershop - Day," Smith plays different voices in a barbershop inspired by Eddie Murphy's barbershop scene from "Coming To America." In a video shared Friday on Instagram, Smith says he wanted to capture the "barbershop vibe of people talking about me." Will Smith addresses Oscars slap, apologizes to Chris Rock in new video "Just all the stuff that I heard," he says. "It was fun to play all of the different characters and be my own hater." In the track itself, Smith raps, "I heard he won the Oscar but he had to give it back / and you know they only made him do that s--- because he's Black." "I ain't never gonna forgive him for the s--- he did," Smith continues in another voice. "You better keep his wife's name out of your mouth." Smith also references those topics on the second track, "You Lookin' For Me?", where he raps, "Won't stop, my s---'s still hot even though I won't get nominatеd / Personal life with my wife, mind your business, it's complicated." The actor and singer said in a video shared to Instagram on Friday that "You Lookin' For Me?" is "attached" to the first track and addresses "a little bit of where I've been and what I've been doing." "I just kept hearing people say, 'Where is Will Smith?'" he added. Smith's new album includes several previously released singles, including "First Love" featuring India Martinez and Marcin, "Beautiful Scars" featuring Big Sean and O Banga, and "You Can Make It" featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir. See the full tracklist for "Based on a True Story" below. Int. Barbershop Day ft. DJ Jazzy Jeff & B. Simone You Lookin' for Me? The Reverend (Rave Sermon) Rave in the Wasteland Bulletproof ft. Jac Ross Hard Times (Smile) ft. Teyana Taylor Beautiful Scars ft. Big Sean and OBanga Tantrum ft. Joyner Lucas First Love ft. India Martinez and Marcin Make It Look Easy The Reverend (YCMI Sermon) You Can Make It ft. Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir Work of Art ft. Russ and Jaden The Reverend (WOA Sermon) Will Smith addresses Chris Rock Oscars slap in new album 'Based on a True Story' originally appeared on
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Will Smith's ‘Based on a True Story' Foregoes Fun for Self-Help Soliloquies: Album Review
Remember when Will Smith was the fun rapper? The enormously affable, uncomplicated rapper? The giddily cheerful Fresh Prince behind 'Parents Just Don't Understand,' the Big Willie Styling hunk of 'Jiggy Wit It,' and the sunny seasonal greeter from the anthemic 'Summertime'? Smith doesn't. At least not judging from the weighty rationalizations (or downright excuses, you decide) that drive the convoluted hip-hop of 'Based on a True Story,' his first new album since 2005. More from Variety Will Smith Addresses Chris Rock Oscars Slap on New Album: 'My S-- Still Hot Even Though I Won't Get Nominated' Chris Rock Says 'You Never Know' About Hosting the Oscars Again, Three Years After Will Smith Slap: 'The Most Miserable People on Earth Can't Forgive' Will Smith Teases 'Really Cool' Idea for 'Hancock 2' and Says 'Zendaya Is Being Approached For a Role' Many things are bringing Smith down, or pushing him to endless self-examinations, as he (mostly implicitly) deals with the fallout from that angry slap during the 2022 Oscars and its immediate effect on his good-guy rep. Even without those developments, Smith could of course no longer be the precocious 20-year-old of 'He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper,' recorded with Philly neighbor/scratcher Jazzy Jeff, or the near-30-year-old who, after starring in a series of movie blockbusters, came back into music to drop a swaggering, 9-times-platinum solo debut, 'Big Willie Style.' What has changed most for Smith in 'Based on a True Story' is the abandonment of a big part of his familiar hitmaking aesthetic. Smith's flow is no longer conversational, liquidy and silver-tongued; his lyrics are no longer convivial or directed straight to the heart and head. Rather than concern himself with a lightness of being to guide his spirit (and his spirituality), 'Based on a True Story' complicates things by wallowing in self-psychology and an elitist's sense of what darkness is to a gazillionaire on songs such as 'Tantrum.'Where once Smith was happy to offer charmingly boyish bon mots, effortlessly told laissez-faire life lessons and grand sales pitches, the existential musings of 'Based on a True Story' are often dense and dreary — and preachy! Smith may have talked at you on all of his earliest albums, but he never actually mounted sermons like his new, holy-rolling 'You Can Make It,' one of the 'True Story' singles with Ye's friends, the Sunday Service Choir, that hit the top of Billboard's Gospel Airplay chart last winter. Meant to portray how he's grown from his past blunders and a refreshed zeal for finding meaning in missteps, 'Based on a True Story' attempts to be a teaching moment without being a reaching moment. This doesn't mean Smith's 'True Story' is without its disarming charms. Though brief, 'Int. Barbershop Day,' with pal DJ Jazzy Jeff, vocalist B. Simone and a chorus of naysayers, is driving, old-school West Philly pop-hop that doesn't sound old. Instead, it sounds fun, though hubris-filled, as the track makes sport of Will's very bad last few years with lyrics loudly announcing 'Will Smith is canceled' and 'I ain't never going to forgive him for that shit he did.' My bet is that all would be forgiven for Smith if he and Jazzy made a full album together, again. Even in miniature, their two tastes taste great together. And that begins to look like the case as the rapper brings up the DJ again ('Me and Jeff, like Jordan and Scotty') at the top of the throbbing 'You Lookin' for Me?' Simultaneously punched out, yet refusing to stay down for the count, a gruff Smith does his actorly best to understand, then diss, his public's view of the slap heard round the world.'If I was you and I saw me, I'd see why you'd be aggravated,' he sneers with resignation. Then again, Smith 'took a lot,' now is back on top, so 'y'all gonna have to get acclimated.' He knows that he's still Oscar's worst enemy ('Won't stop, my shit's still hot even though I won't get nominated') and that you'll always be way curious about Mrs. Smith ('Personal life with my wife, mind your business, it's complicated'). Ultimately, though, Smith will always measure personal growth in first-weekend box office grosses – see 2024's hit 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die' – rather than anything psychotherapeutic: 'All that matters is the fact that I'm still getting compensated.' That's just simple math, and straightforward melodic hip-hop + being a smartass = message. It's when he veers further from that formula and finds self-help Psych 101 lessons and 21st century mantra to light his way through songs such as 'Tantrum' that Smith goes from exaltation to trite exhortation. 'Searching and questioning, looking for answers,' Smith holds onto an inner child who's throwing a fit, while his 'ego keeps holding me ransom' and his 'fear controls me at random.' Oh, and 'life can get ugly, but fuck it, I'm handsome.' If the medicine doesn't heal quick enough, Smith is content to forgive himself and move on, making a lingering stop at the mirror along the way. Smith even turns a potentially sensual scene with temptress Teyana Taylor – in the seductive, jittery tones of 'Hard Times (Smile),' with its sultry Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band sample – into something you'd hear from an elbow-patched professor coming on coyly to a TikTok beauty influencer. The old Big Willie would have flexed a little muscle, flashed a little smile and brought the sexual tension to rise with a subtly wizened brand of machismo. Here, he just offers a limp teachable moment, and a grin. And, how do you spoil one of the disco era's slinkiest tunes? Even Smith's interstitial moments – several church organ-filled 'Reverend' bits – take the humor out of funk and hip-hop's finest tradition, the humorous interlude, and fill it with the hot air of 'interior wastelands' and 'ways of being with our obstacles.' Though the goal of 'Based on a True Story' is connected to a willingness to learn from life's lessons, and prove there's power in positivity (over responsibility), Will Smith's message of mental health and all-around might sounds like mere moralizing (and rationalizing) over way too many half-assed, over-produced beats. Smith's pontificating could use a little bit of silly fiction and some Big Willie swagger — the old kind, not the hubristic strut that he walks through this mostly tired 'True Story' with. Best of Variety What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Gulf Today
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Will Smith channels his post-slap introspection into music
Will Smith could have let his infamous Oscar slap be his cinematic fade out with a career bruised, marriage dissected and reputation in a free fall. But instead of retreating, he turned inward for self-reflection. In the process, Smith rediscovered a long-neglected creative outlet in music, using the mic as a vessel to voice his thoughts after years of prioritizing his Hollywood dominance. 'I've taken the last couple of years to really do a deep dive on the parts of me that may or may not been in that level of certainty and asking those deep scary internal questions,' said Smith, an Oscar and Grammy winner, who will release his fifth studio album 'Based on a True Story' on Friday. It's his first music project in two decades since 'Lost and Found.' 'It really is the result of my initial self-examination,' he said. 'Every song is about some part of myself that I discovered or wanted to explore, something I wanted to share. It's the most full musical offering that I've ever created.' Smith's new offering features guest appearances from Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, DJ Jazzy Jeff, his son Jaden Smith, Jac Ross and Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir. His album weaves in gospel melodies and messages, but he doesn't call it a full-blown gospel project, despite the success of 'You Can Make It,' which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart. Still, Smith let his renewed faith take the lead, steering his creative direction. He plans to release three albums this year, shaping each project into what he calls seasons. The first season, Rave in the Wasteland, plays out across the 14 tracks of 'Based on True Story' and represents his willingness to learn from life's lessons. 'I've come to some really beautiful answers for myself,' Smith said. 'My perception of God and reality.' Though Smith, 56, is still a bankable global star, rebuilding trust and momentum has been an uphill battle. He's grappled with harsh realities while trying to move past the backlash from slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022 and his 10-year ban from the ceremony. Several entertainers — including Zoë Kravitz, Wanda Sykes and Rob Reiner — criticized Smith's actions. Jim Carrey was particularly vocal, stating that Smith had been ' living beyond the bandwidth ' and cracked under the pressure. When asked about Carrey's 'bandwidth' remark, Smith agreed but reiterated that he needed to step back to gain a deeper understanding of himself and move beyond his own limitations. 'There's a small self that — the small concept of myself — can get to the end of his bandwidth,' he said. 'And then, if I back up, there's like an infinite space, where my bandwidth is the bandwidth of life itself. It's like trying to not get stuck in having to be only a narrow band of things, to give myself permission to be wider in the truth of who and what I actually am.' Smith's road to redemption grew tougher when Rock's comedy special reignited the controversy and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir 'Worthy' put their marriage under fresh scrutiny, sparking headlines and endless social media memes. Smith said the adversity not only tested him but fueled his creativity. 'There's a certain psychological and emotional fortitude that you cultivate from, leaning into the difficulty, not trying to run away,' said Smith, who added he sought to build 'spiritual confidence' inspired by the resilience of his late grandmother and Nelson Mandela. Along the way, he found Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chödrön's teachings, embracing her mantra of 'leaning into the sharp points.' These influences became pillars as Smith explored himself more deeply. The way his grandmother, Mandela and Chödrön approached life pushed him to channel his journey back into music. 'It is essentially learning how to accept and celebrate my challenges, recognizing that my challenges and my obstacles and my difficulties are actually divine curriculum,' said Smith, a four-time Grammy winner, who is known for rap classics such as ' Summertime,' ' Men in Black,' ' Gettin' Jiggy Wit It ' and ' Parents Just Don't Understand.' Associated Press
Arab Times
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Will Smith channels his introspection into music on ‘Based On A True Story'
LOS ANGELES, March 25, (AP): Will Smith could have let his infamous Oscar slap be his cinematic fade out with a career bruised, marriage dissected and reputation in a free fall. But instead of retreating, he turned inward for self-reflection. In the process, Smith rediscovered a long-neglected creative outlet in music, using the mic as a vessel to voice his thoughts after years of prioritizing his Hollywood dominance. "I've taken the last couple of years to really do a deep dive on the parts of me that may or may not been in that level of certainty and asking those deep scary internal questions,' said Smith, an Oscar and Grammy winner, who will release his fifth studio album "Based on a True Story' on Friday. It's his first music project in two decades since "Lost and Found.' "It really is the result of my initial self-examination,' he said. "Every song is about some part of myself that I discovered or wanted to explore, something I wanted to share. It's the most full musical offering that I've ever created.' Smith's new offering features guest appearances from Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, DJ Jazzy Jeff, his son Jaden Smith, Jac Ross and Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir. His album weaves in gospel melodies and messages, but he doesn't call it a full-blown gospel project, despite the success of "You Can Make It,' which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Gospel Airplay chart. Still, Smith let his renewed faith take the lead, steering his creative direction. He plans to release three albums this year, shaping each project into what he calls seasons. The first season, Rave in the Wasteland, plays out across the 14 tracks of "Based on True Story' and represents his willingness to learn from life's lessons. "I've come to some really beautiful answers for myself,' Smith said. "My perception of God and reality.' Though Smith, 56, is still a bankable global star, rebuilding trust and momentum has been an uphill battle. He's grappled with harsh realities while trying to move past the backlash from slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022 and his 10-year ban from the ceremony. Several entertainers - including Zoë Kravitz, Wanda Sykes and Rob Reiner - criticized Smith's actions. Jim Carrey was particularly vocal, stating that Smith had been " living beyond the bandwidth ' and cracked under the pressure. When asked about Carrey's "bandwidth' remark, Smith agreed but reiterated that he needed to step back to gain a deeper understanding of himself and move beyond his own limitations. "There's a small self that - the small concept of myself - can get to the end of his bandwidth," he said. "And then, if I back up, there's like an infinite space, where my bandwidth is the bandwidth of life itself. It's like trying to not get stuck in having to be only a narrow band of things, to give myself permission to be wider in the truth of who and what I actually am.' Smith's road to redemption grew tougher when Rock's comedy special reignited the controversy and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's memoir "Worthy' put their marriage under fresh scrutiny, sparking headlines and endless social media memes. Smith said the adversity not only tested him but fueled his creativity. "There's a certain psychological and emotional fortitude that you cultivate from, leaning into the difficulty, not trying to run away,' said Smith, who added he sought to build "spiritual confidence' inspired by the resilience of his late grandmother and Nelson Mandela. Along the way, he found Tibetan Buddhist Pema Chödrön's teachings, embracing her mantra of "leaning into the sharp points.' These influences became pillars as Smith explored himself more deeply. The way his grandmother, Mandela and Chödrön approached life pushed him to channel his journey back into music. "It is essentially learning how to accept and celebrate my challenges, recognizing that my challenges and my obstacles and my difficulties are actually divine curriculum,' said Smith, a four-time Grammy winner, who is known for rap classics such as " Summertime,' " Men in Black,' "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It' and "Parents Just Don't Understand.' Those tracks had a laid-back feel, but his new album strikes a more serious tone. "It's what I've been given to learn the truth,' he continued. "There's a way that I'm learning to be with hard times when things arise. It's like 'Good, yes, thank you.' I'm willing to learn these lessons.' Believe it or not, Smith is set to embark on his first-ever headline tour this summer. He is structuring the shows around different phases of his life and career: One featuring Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, another highlighting his film and TV journey and third act he calls the "new phase, new energy,' where Jeff and others will return to the stage. Smith will kick off his tour including festivals starting June 25 at the Mawazine festival in Morocco and expected to wrap up early September in Paris. He'll perform his past hits from " Miami ' to "Summertime' along with songs from the new album across England, France and Germany. As Smith gears up for his tour, he also has several films in pre-production, including "Fast and Loose,' "Hancock 2,' "I Am Legend 2' and "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," according to IMDb. He's embracing this next phase of his career with renewed energy. "This is about to be the greatest creative run of my entire career,' he said. "The things that I'm about to do in music and cinema, and just artistic expression and exploration. It's like, I can't sleep at night. I'm so ready to go.'
