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Will Smith returns to music after 20 years with new album, three years on from Oscar’s slap

Jan 30, 2025

Will Smith is making a return to music after two decades away from the industry.

Today he is known more for his roles in films such as Men in Black and The Pursuit of Happyness, but once upon a time, Will Smith made a splash in the music industry with hit songs like Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It, Nod Ya Head, Parents Just Don’t Understand, and more.

Now he has announced he is making a comeback with his first full-length album since 2005’s Lost and Found.

Watch the video above

Will Smith

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But to superfans, this is not news.

In fact, the 56-year-old has been releasing singles for the better part of the last year, alongside a number of big names like rappers Russ and Joyner Lucas, and even his son Jaden.

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In addition to the album announcement, he released a new single Beautiful Scars featuring Big Sean, with an accompanying music video to boot.

The pivot comes three years after he delivered what is known as “the slap heard around the world” at the Oscars ceremony in 2022.

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Will Smith in Beautiful scars music video

Chris Rock, 58, as he was introducing the award for Best Documentary Feature, made an ad-libbed joke about 51-year-old Pinkett Smith’s appearance, specifically her bald hairstyle.

”Jada, I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Rock said on-stage, in reference to 1997’s G.I. Jane, which saw a Demi Moore, with a shaved head, play a soldier entering the armed forces.

Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her journey with the autoimmune disease alopecia and began shaving her head in 2021 when “problem” hairless spots became harder to hide, was shown rolling her eyes at Rock’s joke, while Smith, at first, laughed.

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But before the world – and Oscars attendees including Lupita Nyong’o – knew it, Smith stormed the stage, slapped Rock, and returned to his seat.

As everyone was trying to figure out if the move was scripted, Rock deadpanned: “Will Smith just slapped the s–t out of me.”

Smith, meanwhile, shouted from his seat: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”

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“Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” Rock responded, while Smith repeated his previous sentiment.

Minutes later, Smith went on to win Best Actor, and in his speech he apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees – but not to Rock.

The move saw him banned from the Oscars for ten years and many of his upcoming projects sidelined, with many peers uncomfortable with the incident.

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