Will Smith made two important phone calls before recording new music. The actor and rapper shared in a recent interview that he reached out to Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar for advice before returning to the music industry with his 2025 album,

In a recent interview with “Sway In The Morning” on SiriusXM, the Hollywood actor and rapper revealed that before diving into his latest musical endeavor, he reached out to two rap legends, JAY-Z and Kendrick Lamar, for advice. Surprisingly, both of them had nearly identical words of wisdom.

In "Based on a True Story," Will Smith confronts it all — the marriage, the slap, the backlash, the fall, the faith. And yes, he curses. Why it matters: This isn't just Smith returning to rap after 20 years.