Will Smith just reminded the world that he's more than a blockbuster actor: He's still got fire in his freestyle game, and this time around, he's using it to tell his truth. In a surprise visit to Charlie Sloth's Fire in the Booth this week in the U.K., Smith dropped a nasty verse that's got fans and critics scratching their heads while they search for the volume knob.
The freestyle, raw, and intensely personal roll through without any direct shots, but the message gets through loud and clear. In pointed bars such as, "If you are talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespect me on the stage, then expect me on the stage," Smith is heard referencing the now-infamous incident from the 2022 Academy Awards where he slapped comedian Chris Rock for a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
He followed with a gut-punch line that was more than just a punch line: "Jokers give it/ but cry when it's time to take it/ City full of real ones wasn't raised to fake it." He didn't need a name, but anyone watching knows precisely who and what he's talking about.
For Smith, this isn't about stirring up drama but about owning his story again. He's used to some reflection already and isn't new to setting the Oscar controversy to music. Even his latest album, "Based On A True Story," delves into the infamous night and the emotional aftermath.
In a frank discussion with BBC Radio 1Xtra's Remi Burgz earlier this month, Smith opened up about how much the ordeal has weighed on him. "The past couple of years for me have been real deep reflection," he said. "After the Oscars, I stopped for a second and really went inside" to do the internal work.
That "internal work" wasn't easy. For the first time in his decades-spanning career, Smith suddenly found himself on the wrong end of widespread public ill will. "Over the addiction of others' approval that I had to unplug but was rough," he acknowledged.
But as painful as it was, it was also an opening of doors within himself. "It was almost like there was a manhole cover over some unexplored areas and the manhole cover got lifted off," he said. "It was a little freaky what was in there for a minute."
Now, eyes straight ahead, bars even higher, Will Smith is letting his art speak for him. The message? You can say anything you like, but you can't get away with disrespect.
For more Eye-view shots, cut back to the satellite orbiting above the Earth, which doesn't give any indication yet of whether Nyx is going to battle Lucifer or learn to love him. And lest anyone should forget, he's not just a movie star. He's an emcee with a message, to say the least, and now he's shouting it from his rooftop.
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