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Tony Rock, Chris Rock's brother, called Will Smith's new album, Based on a True Story, a "piece of sh*t" and "trash," despite not having listened to it. On Monday, April 14, 2025, Tony spoke to a paparazzo at LAX, where he openly admitted he hadn't heard any songs from Smith's new album. Nevertheless, he gave a no-holds-barred review, stating:
"Will Smith has an album out, and it's a piece of sh*t, and he addresses the Oscars... Everybody keeps telling me to stop talking about it, but then he f**king puts it on a song, so that gives me leeway to talk about it again. Album's trash."
As Chris Rock's brother noted, Will Smith references the fallout from the infamous onstage slap at the Oscars in 2022 several times throughout the album, which was released on March 28, 2025. In the first track, Int. Barbershop, someone can be heard saying, "Will Smith is canceled," while another person comments, "I ain't never going to forgive him for that sh*t he did."
A few lines later in the song also directly reference the Oscar incident, including the line, "You better keep his wife's name out of your mouth," and the aftermath, where he reportedly had to return his Oscar trophy. Will Smith's Based on a True Story was released a decade after his 2005 album Lost and Found.
Chris Rock's brother, Tony, says he refused to listen to Will Smith's new album
While Chris Rock's brother, Tony, offered his candid review of Will Smith's latest album, Based on a True Story, he admitted that he had not listened to the album. He also stated that he refused to listen to any of it, but despite that, Tony Rock claimed that he has a good reason for giving it a blunt negative review. He told the paparazzo at LAX on April 14, 2025:
"This album is probably sh***y as f*ck because I haven't heard anything about it other than, 'Oh, he addresses your brother.' If that's the only selling point, that's a sh***y album."
He doubled down on his stance, further accusing Will Smith of exploiting the infamous 2022 Oscars incident with his brother Chris Rock "to sell a sh***y album." Regarding any possible reconciliation, Tony Rock bluntly stated that they are "never gonna be friends."
As for Will Smith's new music, Chris Rock's brother wasn't the only one who took a jab at Based on a True Story. Comedian Michael Che also made it the subject of a joke in his March 29 Saturday Night Live Weekend Update sketch, where he said,
"Will Smith has released his first new album in 20 years, and ironically, this album doesn't slap."
Rolling Out also reported in its April 15 article that Pitchfork has given Smith's album a 2.4 out of 10 rating and referred to it as "corny" and a "pointless apology tour." Furthermore, the outlet cited Rolling Stone's album review, which described Based on a True Story as "clunky" and "cringey."
Will Smith's Based on a True Story, which features collabs with Big Sean, Jaden Smith, Russ, and Joyner Lucas, is now available on music streaming platforms.
