At his peak, Will Smith was a pop-rap powerhouse, his family-friendly charm and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s slick production helping to commercialise hip-hop. He won the first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Performance, became a household name in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and later proved his dramatic chops with an Oscar-winning turn in King Richard. But all of that was eclipsed in an instant by his infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, a moment that left him ridiculed and frozen out of Hollywood’s inner circle.

So, Based On A True Story arrives teeming with possibility. With no shortage of material to draw from, could this be a raw, cathartic, mask-off moment from the man who was once one of the world’s most treasured performers? Sadly not.

https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/will-smith-based-on-a-true-story