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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14601703/Will-Smith-comeback-album-flop-poor-sales-Chris-Rock-Oscars-slap.html Will Smith's comeback album 'flops' as his first record in 20 years sells very few copies in the wake of the Chris Rock Oscars slap scandal By NIOMI HARRIS FOR MAILONLINE Published: 04:42 EDT, 12 April 2025 | Updated: 04:43 EDT, 12 April 2025 Will Smith's comeback album - his first in 20 years - has reportedly flopped. Last month, the actor and rapper, 56, released his latest record Based On A True Story, but despite his superstar status, the album only sold 268 copies in its first week in the UK. And things didn't fare better across the pond as the LP failed to make it onto the Billboard 200 in the US reports Forbes - the first time one of his solo albums has not charted. Based On A True Story is Will's first album since 2005's Lost And Found, and despite big name collaborators including Big Sean, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor and his own son Jaden, it has failed to make any commercial impact. Reports suggest that the album was hoped to be a start of a music resurgence for Will in the wake of his controversial Chris Rock Oscars slap in 2022 - the move that seriously tarnished his career. Will Smith's comeback album - his first in 20 years - has reportedly flopped Reports suggest that the album was hoped to be a start of a music resurgence for Will in the wake of his controversial Chris Rock Oscars slap in 2022 - the move that tarnished his career The incident occurred following a joke Chris made about Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head, amid her battle with alopecia, It prompted Will to make his way to the stage, slap Chris and shout 'keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth.' In the wake of the slap, the film star - who won his very first Oscar on the night - was banned from the Academy Awards for ten years. The development of his film Fast and Loose was also put on hold by Netflix. While his reported £28 million role in slavery epic Emancipation failed to make an impact at the box office in 2022, leaving his movie career somewhat in the wilderness. Will's new 14-track album features tracks including Beautiful Scars (with Big Sean), Work of Art (with Jaden Smith) and Hard Times (with Teyana Taylor) - the latter of which he was plugging on Instagram only on Friday. MailOnline have contacted representatives of Will for comment. The former Fresh Prince of Bel Air star has in the past enjoyed commercial success with his musical offerings, with his first four solo albums - Big Willie Style (1997), Willennium (1999), Born to Reign (2002), Lost and Found (2005) - all making it on to the Billboard 200. Last month, the actor and rapper, 56, released his latest record Based On A True Story, but despite his superstar status, the album only sold 268 copies in its first week in the UK Things didn't fare better across the pond as the LP failed to make it onto the Billboard 200 in the US reports Forbes - the first time one of his solo albums has not charted Despite his disappointing album sales, Will is reportedly set to release a further two albums this year. While the Men In Black hitmaker is ploughing ahead with his 'first ever' headline tour and will see the actor visit a host of venues up and down the UK and Europe. These live shows will see him performing songs from the new album along with his classic hits including Jiggy Wit It, Miami, Summertime and more. But, some fans are shocked to discover that most of the UK venues have a capacity of less than 5,000, which seems small compared to the actor's huge level of fame. The locations include the likes of Scarborough and Wolverhampton, but skip out bigger cities like Birmingham, Glasgow and Dublin. Ahead of his solo tour, he is set to perform at multiple international festivals, including Mawazine in Morocco, POSITIV Festival in France, Dreambeach in Spain and BIG ART Festival in Italy. Announcing the news of his tour last month, Will wrote on Instagram: I'M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!! 'We're hitting up UK & Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises ;-) All these years, I've NEVER done a headline tour and I can't wait to see you guys!!' Fans rushed to the comments to quip: 'Life is complete!!!! Been a fan since the fresh prince days !!!!!!! Omg' and 'I'm excited, I can't wait'. In the wake of the slap, the film star - who won his very first Oscar on the night - was banned from the Academy Awards for ten years Despite poor album sales, the Men In Black hitmaker is ploughing ahead with his 'first ever' headline tour and will see the actor visit a host of venues up and down the UK and Europe Smith gained recognition in American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince who released Grammy-winning single Parents Just Don't Understand. In the Nineties, he starred in the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air about a fictionalised version of himself, born and raised in West Philadelphia, who is sent to live with his wealthy uncle in Los Angeles. His debut solo album, Big Willie Smith, was released in 1997 and included the hit song Men In Black, which accompanied the film of the same name and peaked at number one in the UK singles chart. Across his career, Smith has starred in dozens of films including The Pursuit Of Happyness (2006), I Am Legend (2007), and Suicide Squad (2016). In January, he released track Beautiful Scars, featuring rapper Big Sean, as well as a music video where they re-enacted a scene from 1999 science fiction film The Matrix.

Well, this is unfortunate. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2025/04/10/will-smiths-comeback-album-fails-to-make-any-commercial-impact/ Will Smith’s Comeback Album Fails To Make Any Commercial Impact ByHugh McIntyre, Senior Contributor. Hugh McIntyre covers music, with a focus on the global charts. Apr 10, 2025, 09:45am EDT Share SaveComment0 Will Smith’s first album in 20 years, Based on a True Story, fails to chart on Billboard despite ... More Getty Images Will Smith has been on a long and quiet journey back into the public eye since his infamous altercation with Chris Rock at the Academy Awards several years ago. After keeping a relatively low profile in the aftermath of that moment, he’s been slowly re-engaging with audiences, and he recently stepped back into his first love, music. For Smith, hip-hop isn’t just the genre that made him famous, it also may be the key to a redemption arc – or at least that’s what he was hoping. Unfortunately, that plan isn’t panning out quite the way he might have anticipated. Smith’s new album Based on a True Story is his first in two decades, but it makes virtually no commercial impact. Despite months of buzz and big name collaborations, the album just didn’t hit with the American public in any meaningful way. Will Smith’s Based on a True Story Fails to Chart Based on a True Story ix Smith’s first album since 2005’s Lost and Found. The project was promoted with a steady stream of singles and features from major names in the music industry, including Big Sean, Joyner Lucas, and his own son Jaden. The Grammy winner tried to push the project properly, but even anticipation and what seemed like a fair amount of media coverage – at least in the music-focused press – couldn’t move the needle. The full-length doesn’t make it onto a single Billboard ranking this week. Not the Billboard 200, not the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, not any genre-specific or consumption-specific tallies. For an artist of Smith’s stature, that’s a harsh result. He’s still a household name, and with so much attention focused on the release, it felt like it could become at least a minor win. It didn’t. Will Smith’s First Billboard 200 Miss Throughout his music career, Smith has only released four prior solo albums. All of them made it onto the Billboard 200, and three even cracked the top 10. His 2002 effort Born to Reign stalled just outside that space, peaking at No. 13. A few years earlier, Willennium soared to No. 5 – his all-time peak – driven by hit singles and the momentum of his acting career. Now, for the first time, he’s released an album that doesn’t make it to the all-genre tally. Based on a True Story also fails to send a single cut to the Hot 100. That’s especially disappointing given the roster of collaborators featured on the set. Smith was never the biggest star on the Hot 100, but he has earned multiple top 10s and even a few No. 1s throughout his career. This time around, not one of the several official singles gained enough traction to appear on the tally. Will Smith’s Surprise Gospel Hits Even though the album itself doesn’t chart, a few of the tracks from Based on a True Story do manage to land somewhere. Three cuts from the set make a home on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart, a tally that Smith was previously largely unfamiliar with. Two brand new tunes — “The Reverend (Rave Sermon)” and “Rave in the Wasteland ” —debut at Nos. 8 and 22, respectively. At the same time, “You Can Make It,” a collaboration with Fridayy and Sunday Service, reappears at No. 18. Smith claims a trio of the most-consumed gospel tracks in the country this week, which is a curious outcome for an effort largely pitched as a hip-hop project.

I thought Nore was fine. it was just a bunch of friends vibin'....But interviews like this remind me why i became a fan of Will Smith and stayed one for 3+ decades. its an understatement to say he's deep. Its not just the same old cliche answers. Some of what he says can resonate with me. What he said about death at the end really touched me due to some personal things. I can relate to everything he said about his sister in that part is the short of it....But that aside he's just a very human, and humble person. Great interview.

Worked perfectly

Love this mashup. That Work It beat is awesome!

How awesome is this?!

He really went down the deep end.

I think he needs to release a proper video for this song. Not just because it's proabably my favorite song off of the album, but because all of the other singles/videos have been serious. This song best represents the Fresh Prince well all know and love.

This is actually one of the better Drink Champs. Noriega is just the worst interviewer. He always cuts off the people he's interviewing. I only watch these when I really love the guest. I didn't notice Will not drinking until I read one of the comments. Since he's mindful of his health and since he wouldn't risk being sloppy in front of cameras, I'm not surprised.

I enjoyed this and Will was great but towards the end it got a bit annoying when everyone got a bit loud and started talking over each other. Not sure if it was the drink or all that monster. Did you notice though Will barely drank. He had a few but when they did shots of would avoid or pretend to drink it.

Wonder who these artists are

Years ago I wanted to hear the songs they worked on together. These days I hope they never see the light of day.

Not really the support he needs... https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/ye-takes-break-bashing-friends-praise-will-smith-1235059359/?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawJhM5JleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHq7zc2NFSJCJ9qWMXkyualvDx-GAoc8nWDn1XAmc5k5oMR0PEgeR5mQbdgqU_aem_fqbwumusvgrTi03OhQRZTQ Ye Takes A Break From Bashing Former Friends To Praise Will Smith’s Thriving Career The surprising positivity follows Ye's run of disrespect against JAY-Z, Kim Kardashian, Playboi Carti and others. By Amber Corrine April 3, 2025 1:11pm Kevin Winter; Brad Barket/Getty Images Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), took a break from his usual online tirades on Tuesday (April 1) to shower praise on none other than Will Smith. In a rare moment of appreciation, the Yeezy creator reposted a clip of Smith effortlessly rapping over Griselda’s 2019 track “Dr. Birds” for Lyrical Lemonade, and declared his admiration. “Will Smith is one of my biggest inspirations,” Ye wrote in a X post. “This ni**a really became the biggest movie star in the world. Married the baddest actress. Raised brilliant children. And still got that drive.”* X/kanyewest Ye’s public praise comes as a surprise, considering his recent streak of bashing his former friends, collaborators and even his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. Besides his online antics, Ye took aim at Frank Ocean, J. Cole, John Legend, JAY-Z and Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Playboi Carti and so many others in an hour-long interview with Akademiks In his rant, he directly addressed Hov, calling out his lack of support. “JAY-Z, Beyoncé, you ain’t help me when I was having problems with my kids… You ain’t show up to my first wedding. You ain’t my family,” he said. His grievances extended to Lamar as well, accusing the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper of lifting elements from The Life of Pablo for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. “It’s like, ‘Oh, these are the drums from this song. This is the approach to this song’,” he claimed. Meanwhile, Smith himself admitted to looking to Lamar and JAY-Z for guidance while crafting his comeback album, Based on a True Story. According to the multifaceted star, the two Hip-Hop giants encouraged him to embrace raw honesty in his music. “Say that sh*t you’ve always been fu**king scared to say,” Smith recalled of K. Dot, as JAY advised, “Don’t fake your story. You gotta say what’s true for you. You’ll be looking at the younger rappers and you want that to be true for you, but you don’t live like that. Be true to your story.” The Oscar-winning actor dropped his album on Friday (March 28). The album boasts features from Big Sean, Russ, Teyana Taylor, and even his youngest son, Jaden. Revisit Will Smith’s “Lunch Break Freestyle” below.

An interview with Will: https://www.complex.com/music/a/minou-itseli/will-smith-mimi-the-music-blogger-based-on-a-true-story-interview

Noriega is a terrible interviewer, but Will makes up for it. He tells some stories for the first time here.

The albums growing on me slowly. I will have to reevaluate the whole thing in a few months or so

It’s really hard to rank. Willenium is and always has been the clear #1 for me. It’s the most complete album he made. I could listen to random songs from it or front to back. It may also be that I vividly remember getting that album and playing it on repeat at age 12. I will acknowledge BWS is ten times more commercially successful, but it feels like a grab bag of singles in comparison. So: 1. Willenium ……… ……… 2. BWS 3. BOATS 4. Lost and Found 5. Born to Reign Lost and Found could switch places with BOATS. BOATS has two strikes: (a) cursing and (b) saying “someone you could base your whole life on.” I largely avoid commenting on his personal life but if anything it’s one of those don’t meet your heroes things when I think about red table plus the slap. Lost and Found’s strikes are the mid 2000’s style he lifts (Party Starter/Ludacris) and his fifteen remixes of Switch lol. Born to Reign will forever be the hardest to relisten to. It was a real creative stretch which I hate to penalize.

This is a great interview.

Another show: Budapest https://www.instagram.com/p/DIBNZQjxkBu/

I’ve found a website for the official streaming chart in the UK but it’s not in the top 100. I’ve got a feeling it gets updated weekly because they announce it on radio 1. So maybe we’ll see on Friday.

Wow, number 3 on iTunes is awesome!

Anyway we can find those numbers?