Washington [US], June 29: Academy Award-winning actor and rapper Will Smith has seemingly addressed his infamous Oscars slap in a bold new freestyle session on DJ Charlie Sloth’s ‘Fire in the Booth’.
In his verse, Smith rapped:
“If you talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespect me on the stage, expect me on the stage.”
He followed up with:
“Jokers dish it out, cry foul when it’s time to take it / City full of real ones, wasn’t raised to fake it.”
The bars appear to directly reference the 2022 Oscars moment when Smith shocked the world by slapping comedian Chris Rock on live television after a joke targeting Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head—linked to her battle with alopecia.
After the incident, Smith issued a public apology and resigned from the Academy, which subsequently banned him from attending its events for 10 years.
This isn’t his first lyrical nod to the scandal. His recent album Based on a True Story includes more subtle references to cancel culture and public backlash, with lines like:
“Him and Jada both crazy, girl, what you talkin’ bout? You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”
While Smith has largely maintained a low profile since the controversy, this freestyle signals a more direct artistic confrontation with that infamous night—one bar at a time.