Chris Rock's Brother Goes Off On Will Smith's “Trash” New Album

BY Cole Blake 2.3K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Tony Rock Performs At The Stress Factory Comedy Club
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - AUGUST 25: Tony Rock performs at The Stress Factory Comedy Club on August 25, 2022 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. (Photo by Bobby Bank/Getty Images)
Will Smith references his infamous altercation with Chris Rock at several points on his new album, "Based on a True Story."

Chris Rock's brother, Tony, says Will Smith’s new album, Based on a True Story, is “sh*t” and “trash.” Speaking with TMZ about the project, Tony admitted that he hadn’t heard it yet, but isn’t even interested in giving it a chance. “Will Smith has an album out and it’s a piece of sh*t and he addresses the Oscars,” Tony said.

On the project, Will Smith references infamously slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. “Everybody keeps telling me to stop talking about it but then he f*cking puts it on a song,” Tony said. “So that gives me leeway to talk about it again. Album’s trash. I’m just assuming. I haven’t listened to it. I refuse to listen to it.” He added that Smith only mentioned the incident “to sell a sh*tty album.” Tony explained: “This album is probably sh*tty 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*tty album.”

Will Smith's "Based On A True Story"

Will Smith released Based on a True Story on March 28, 2025 as his first album in a decade. It features collaborations with Big Sean, Russ, Joyner Lucas, and even Smith's own son, Jaden. Despite the virality of his appearance at the Oscars, the long-wait in between projects, and a star-studded tracklist, Smith's Based on a True Story failed to land on any Billboard charts. It also bombed with critics, earning unfavorable reviews from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and more.

Will Smith references his Oscars controversy at multiple points on Based on a True Story. On the intro track, "Int. Barbershop Day," he raps: "I heard he down bad, I heard he won the Oscar, but he had to give it back / And you know they only made him do that sh*t because he's Black." Just one song later on "You Lookin’ For Me?" he raps: "Took a lot, I'm back on top, y'all gon' havе to get acclimated / Won't stop, my **** still hot evеn though I won't get nominated."

[Via]

About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.