Will Smith pulled up to Charlie Sloth’s Fire in the Booth in the U.K. and made it clear that he’s still got bars, bite and backbone. In an unannounced freestyle that’s now shaking up social media and Hip Hop circles, the iconic emcee and actor delivered lines that felt like a veiled message aimed directly at one of the most talked-about moments in recent award show history.
Backed by a moody track, Smith didn’t drop any names but didn’t hold back either. “If you talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespect me on the stage, expect me on the stage,” he spit with a calm intensity. He kept the momentum going with, “Jokers dish it out, cry out when it’s time to take it. City full of real ones, wasn’t raised to fake it.”
Those bars immediately sparked buzz on socials with fans and critics interpreting them as a lyrical revisit to the 2022 Oscars moment. That now-infamous night saw Smith step onto the Academy Awards stage and slap Chris Rock after a comment Rock made about Jada Pinkett Smith. Jada had gone public about her alopecia diagnosis which caused hair loss. What followed was a media firestorm that overshadowed Smith’s Oscar win for his role in King Richard and kicked off endless public debates on everything from respect to professionalism to accountability.
Will is back in the driver’s seat on wax, and we are certainly here for it, but we can’t help to ask, when is his next film dropping?