Will Smith Shocks Fans With Teaser for ‘I Am Legend 2’—Everything We Know So Far

Will Smith is officially back in album-mode, confirming that ​“Based on a True Story,” his first full-length release in two decades, drops worldwide on March 28, 2025 via Westbrook Records and Sony Music. The actor-rapper announced the date on Instagram, capping months of cryptic studio teasers and freestyle clips that reignited fan buzz. Recorded in Los Angeles, Miami and London, the 14-track LP pairs Smith’s classic upbeat flow with introspective lyrics about resilience after the 2022 Oscars incident. Lead single “Beautiful Scars,” featuring Big Sean, opens with Smith addressing “the slap heard round the world” before flipping it into a hook about forgiveness. Other confirmed guests include DJ Jazzy Jeff, Teyana Taylor and Jaden Smith, reuniting the multi-generational family on wax for the first time. Industry insiders say the project positions Smith for a rare Hollywood-to-Hip-Hop comeback. Advance listening sessions reportedly impressed radio programmers, with iHeartMedia’s Doc Wynter calling the album “vintage Fresh Prince energy filtered through 2025-level vulnerability.” Early streaming projections from Chartmetric place first-week U.S. on-demand plays north of 60 million, a figure that would land Smith back on the Billboard 200’s top 10 for the first time since 2005’s “Lost and Found.” Momentum has been building since Smith’s surprise appearance at the 67th Grammy Awards in February, where he presented the Rap Album category and hinted at “new music on the horizon.” The telecast marked his first major award-show stop since the Oscars and drew a 23% spike in live-tweet volume during his segment, according to Talkwalker social analytics. A spring promo run is already booked. Smith headlines France’s Positiv Festival on July 31 before hitting Morocco’s Mawazine, Italy’s Lucca Summer Festival and a string of arena dates in the U.K. U.S. shows are expected to follow in the fall, with Live Nation sources citing “strong interest” from coastal amphitheaters. Beyond music, Smith has fielded rumors of a cameo in a planned Matrix reboot and continues post-production on “Fast & Loose,” the Netflix thriller halted in 2022. Yet insiders stress the focus remains on “Based on a True Story,” which Smith calls “part confessional, part block-party.” For fans who grew up with the Fresh Prince and newcomers discovering him on TikTok, 2025 looks poised to reestablish Will Smith as both chart contender and cultural conversation-starter.