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Chris Rock's brother, Tony Rock, calls Will Smith's new album, Based on a True Story, a "piece of sh*t" and "trash," despite not having actually listened to it. On Monday, April 14, 2025, Tony spoke to a paparazzo at LAX, where he openly admitted that he hadn't listened to any song in Smith's new album. However, he gave a no-holds-barred review, saying:
"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 said, Will Smith references the fallout after the infamous slap onstage at the Oscars in 2022 at multiple points in the album, which was released on March 28, 2025. The first track in the album, Int. Barbershop, someone can be heard saying, "Will Smith is canceled," while another one says, "I ain't never going to forgive him for that sh*t he did."
A few lines later in the song also referenced the Oscar incident directly, including the line, "You better keep his wife's name out of your mouth," and the aftermath where he reportedly had to give back his Oscar trophy. Will Smith's Based on a True Story came out 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, gave his unrestrained review of Will Smith's latest album, Based on a True Story, he admitted that he hadn't listened to the album. He also said that he refused to listen to any of it, but despite that, Tony Rock says 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." As for any reconciliation, Tony Rock bluntly answered that they are "never gonna be friends."
As for Will Smith's new music, Chris Rock's brother wasn't the only one who shaded 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 reportedly called it "corny" and a "pointless apology tour." Moreover, the outlet cited Rolling Stone's review of the album, which called Based on a True Story "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.
