'Based on a True Story' - New Album drops March 28

[JumpinJack AJ]

8 hours ago, eagle1 said:

I kind of wish they included this writing in the BG of the album cover

I agree. The writing adds to the image. 

[JumpinJack AJ]

There's lyric videos for all the songs that don't have a music video...

 

[Hero1]

One thing I find funny about the reverand interludes is Will doing an old man voice when he is old now  On the Reverand in And in this Corner it was much more of a shift in his voice!

[Schnazz]

Man, I am absolutely loving this album!!!! I love the barbershop, absolutely mesmerized by it.  Rave in the wasteland has got me, hard.  I love the sermons, his style on those are outstanding.  I’m loving all the different styles he’s rapping in, his flow is fantastic.  The hard times disco rap vibes so smooth, love it.  His message resonated with me in a major way, more than anything since code red.  Love the guitar on First Love.  The fresh feel of Make it Look Easy.  This is feeling very much like my favorite solo album, and second favorite after Code Red.   This album is way better than I was expecting.  So much better.  Fire, just absolutely fire. Beginning to end.

[analogue]

I'd be repeating pretty much what everyone has already said here but the album is awesome. The only thing I'm not a fan of is the swearing but that's not a deal breaker for me.  Hearing the F bomb on a Will Smith album feels weird to me. 

I'll need more time with the album and I may be jumping the gun here but this might be in his top 3 best albums. 

[Bob]

13 hours ago, JumpinJack AJ said:

Man, the day has come. For Lost & Found, I want to Walmart to get the CD at midnight.  I wish I had that kind of experience this time, but I had to settle for buying it/downloading it at midnight.  I bought the regular version and the edited version. I drove around earlier today blasting the music on a super sunny 65 degree day. It was heaven.

1. Int. Barbershop - Day - I love this sound. More of this.  I like the banter on this track and that Will specifically voices the characters who are critical of him. The back and for with Jeff is so welcomed. It brings the energy of the JJ+FP albums. B. Simone is a welcome addition to them. 

2. You Lookin' For Me - Man, this is the Fresh Prince I love to hear. Especially those opening lines that borrow from Slick Rick. I love the lyrics and subject matter. The choir on the backup vocals sweeten up the kinda dark-sounding beat. 

3. The Reverend (Rave Sermon) - I'll say this about all of the interludes. I like the encouragement and the gems he shares. It makes me wonder if they would be better coming from Will straight, instead of through the reverend character. With albums, I tend to get tired of interludes after the first few listens. 

4. Rave In The Wasteland - Man, i love this beat and the energy. The subject matter is good, too. 

5. Bulletproof - I like the energy and lyrics on this one, too, but I think the production is leaning average.  Jac Ross has a great voice for this. 

6. Hard Times (Smile) - Man, I love this one I must say, I slept on Teyana, but this song makes me want to check out her music.  The slick, classic Hip-Hop meets R&B sound is my favorite. I like FP's relaxed flow and vocal presence. I'm so into this beat and the smoothed out chorus that I haven't really unpacked the lyrics yet.  

7. Beautiful Scars - I love the production on this. I like the changes in his flow throughout it. Admittedly, I'm not a Big Sean fan. I always though his voice and presence was weak and his lyrics un relatable. I like him a little more on this compared to anything else I've every heard him on. I would have preferred to hear someone else on the track who is more on Will's level.  No offense, to Omar, but I don't the auto tune chorus. I'd put someone like Usher on the chorus to upgrade it. 

8. Tantrum - I'm not saying it's bad, but this is my least favorite song. It's just kind of repetitive.  The beat is about as standard as you can get.  Will holds it down. I'm not crazy about Joyner's voice.  Why is Will kicking Joyner Lucas' butt on his own sound? 

9. First Love - I like the artistic move with this one. I don't think it gets enough credit.  However, I think it definitely takes down the pace of the album. I feel like it would serve better as a single or as a song oen one of the collaborating artists' albums.

10. Make It Look Easy - This is a really nice one. I love the sound and vibe. Like "Hard Times (Smile)", I think FP is the most comfortable on this sound. I guarantee this will be pumping through my car speakers all summer long. 

11. The Reverent (YCMI) - I nice message to lead into "You Can Make It".

12. You Can Make It - This is a highlight. Heck, it crossed over to be a hit on gospel charts. Will is emotionally raw on the song. Fridayy complements it well and hearing Sunday Service literally gives me goose bumps.  If this is the only real hit off the album, that's good enough. 

13. Work of Art - The beat is modern, but dope.  The lyrics sum up this era for Will. Jaden's feature is authentic and not forced. I know nothing about Russ, but his makes a mark on this. 

14. The Reverend (WOA Sermon) A nice send off for the album.

Overall I'm really happy with this album. I think it was weird that we heard so many singles off it before we got the whole thing. It made the listening experience kind of weird compared to having only heard a song or two. I feel like the songs that weren't released as singles are the glue of the album. Most of them are my favorites. 

I think my critiques are the sequence of songs. I feel like "Work of Art" should have been one of the first songs and that "You Can Make It" should have been the last song. I think the sound and production is kind of all over the place, which prevents it from feeling a completely cohesive album. I feel like I'll listen to some of these songs A LOT and some I'll only listen to when I'm in the mood to hear them. I haven't felt that about his previous albums.

I gotta be honest, Will cussin' in his songs still sits with me funny. I'm sure 99% of the time I'll be listening to the edited version of the album.

I really hope this album gets some shine.  It's a reminder that the Fresh Prince is a legit emcee and musician. This is good music....good Hip-Hop.

Man it’s been 20 years but I was looking to find your review of the album. For real. Very much aligned with your thoughts. The cursing is my biggest issue - some ordering too of songs but I’m coming around to it as a total piece (rather than the sum of its parts).

[Ale]

[VIsqo]

Yeah. My wife was listening with me last night and she asked "what's with all the cursing?"

[Ale]

Another great interview:

[Hero1]

Listen to our thoughts on the album in the latest episode of the Will Smith Podcast:
 

 

[Ale]

This is fire!!

[Jazzy Julie]

12 minutes ago, Ale said:

This is fire!!

As if Will is coming out with the best stuff of his career at age 56. He’s got more charisma in this than every modern rapper put together.

As a fan, we know he’s awesome but this even has me shocked how good it is.