Will Smith marks his return to music with “Beautiful Scars,” a collaborative track with Detroit rapper Big Sean featuring OBanga. The song, released alongside a Matrix-themed video, sees Smith diving deep into themes of personal growth and the challenges of living in the spotlight.
The track arrives as Smith prepares to release Based on a True Story, his first full-length album since 2005’s Lost and Found. This upcoming March 2025 project represents a significant moment for Smith, whose musical career began in the late 1980s as part of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, earning multiple Grammy Awards and platinum records before focusing primarily on acting.
Produced by OmArr and LeXoskeleton, “Beautiful Scars” features introspective verses addressing fame’s complexities and the process of learning from past mistakes. The accompanying music video pays homage to the 1999 film The Matrix, with Smith embodying Neo, the role immortalized by Keanu Reeves. Big Sean appears as Morpheus, the character originally brought to life by Laurence Fishburne. The video concludes with a pointed message: “Wake up, Will. The matrix has you.”
This release bridges Smith’s evolution from his early days as a Philadelphia rapper to his Hollywood superstardom and current return to music. His last solo album, Lost and Found, debuted during his peak acting years, following hits like “Men in Black” and “Switch.” Now, after two decades focused primarily on film, Smith brings his accumulated experiences back to the recording studio.