Tony Rock is trashing Will Smith’s new album even though he hasn’t actually heard it and straight-up says he won’t bother. According to TMZ, Chris Rock’s brother shared his thoughts about Will’s first album since 2005’s Lost and Found, the recently released Based on a True Story.
Chatting with a paparazzo at LAX on Monday, Rock, who dropped his Rock the World special last November, mentioned it’s “a great time to be a comic” before bringing up Smith’s album.
“Will Smith has an album out and it’s a piece of shit and he addresses the Oscars,” Rock said, doubling down on his point that comedians are thriving right now.
As previously reported, Smith’s BOATS does indeed have the Oscar and Grammy winner talking about The Slap controversy, especially on the album opener “Int. Barbershop – Day,” featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and B. Simone. From Rock’s view, the topics on the album give him “leeway” to also discuss the headline-dominating 2022 incident.
“Everybody keeps telling me to stop talking about it but then he fucking puts it on a song,” Rock complained. “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.”
Rock went on, claiming Smith was “trying to sell a shitty album,” though he did slip in some props for the DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince classic “Brand New Funk” from 1987.
“This album is probably shitty as fuck because I haven’t heard anything about it other than ‘Oh, he addresses your brother,'” Rock added. “If that’s the only selling point, that’s a shitty album.”
Later, Rock shut down any idea that Chris and Will might ever “be friends,” though he noted everyone involved in The Slap is doing just fine financially.
“All of us are walking in the bank on Monday with smiles on our faces,” he said.
In a recent chat with Minou Itseli for Complex UK, Smith named “Interior – Barbershop Day” as one of his favorites from the new album, explaining it was inspired by a scene from Coming to America with Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall.
“They’re all talking about me, and I even play a character that’s mad at me!” Smith shared. “It’s like rapping meets acting as an homage to one of my favorite movie moments.”
