Will Smith may have thought the slap heard 'round the world was in his rearview mirror, but one Brooklyn rapper is making sure it reverberates a little bit longer. Enter Marco Polo Vision from my favorite label, Rawkus, a hardcore emcee with no time for silly convolutions and a serious chip on his shoulder. This week, Polo unleashed a ruthless diss track, "The Fresh Dis of Bel-Air," a brash, cartoon-inspired send-up of Will Smith, and it pulls no punches.
Not to be confused with the producer Marco Polo, who has worked with the rapper Masta Ace. Marco Polo Vision, in other words, is carving its lane, complete with cartoon characters. The music video for the diss track features Uncle Phil-style cameo appearances, vibrant backdrops, and razor-sharp rhymes that get straight to the point. However, there's a more profound message behind the cartoon vibe, and it's personal.
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"I was brought up on both Chris Rock and Will Smith," Polo said in a statement. "So when I saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock, it broke my heart."
That notorious 2022 Oscars moment, when Smith smacked Rock on live TV after a crack at Jada Pinkett Smith, had a ripple effect in pop culture. And though Rock did not press charges, the Academy suspended Smith from attending the ceremony for 10 years. Smith has since attempted to return to form, including offering up some new music.
If anything, it was Smith's poised shot, "Joker's dish it out / Cry out when it's time to take it / City full of real ones wasn't raised to fake it" that pushed Polo over the edge.
"The Brooklyn in me was like, I have to stand up for my dude Chris Rock," he said. "He didn't deserve it in the first place… and for Will to really pour salt on the wound, diss him again? Nah."
Polo says this isn't a move to chase clout, and He's not after viral fame or tabloid buzz, but he's after something he sees as slipping away: cultural accountability.
"This is about the protection and preservation of culture," he said. "White folks love to see us tearing each other apart like this, but they don't even support your mess, Will."
Despite the harsh words, Polo is quick to note he's not out to cancel Smith. He's still a fan. "I grew up on Nightmare on My Street, Summertime, and Fresh Prince," he said. "But I'm not going to sit here and watch Will pick on Chris Rock because Hollywood is going through some kind of crazy crisis that he made a bad joke about, and he has to get over himself and deal with it and stop lying to himself."
Polo says that "The Fresh Dis of Bel-Air" was written in just 20 minutes, but what it conveys is years of love, disappointment, and a call for reconciliation. "If Will apologizes to Chris, I'll apologize to Will," Polo said. "But if he's gonna stand on his bullshit, then I'm a stand on mine."
Whether Smith gets back to him or not is yet to be determined, Marco Polo Vision is speaking for all the fans who also felt that slap. And now, he's delivering bars, not the kind that land blows, in RoRock's sonor.
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