‘The Album’s Trash. I’m Just Assuming That’: Chris Rock’s Brother Blasts Will Smith For Referencing The Oscars Slap On His New Music

Over three years after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, their televised encounter remains a topic of discussion. It actually just came up yet again, and it was Smith who brought it back into the public consciousness. The rapper-turned-actor referenced the incident on his latest album, Based on a True Story. Rock’s brother, Tony, is aware of this, and he didn’t hold back when talking about Smith’s album as well as the less-than-positive reception it’s received thus far.

Tony Rock has been highly protective of his older brother since the situation at the 94th Academy Awards. Not only has he spoken out against the man formerly known as the Fresh Prince, but he’s also promoted Chris’ comedy work in the interim as well. When it comes to this new album from the Oscar winner, Tony ripped into the music, which he admitted to not having heard himself. While speaking with TMZ, the comic also addressed what he seems to view as the irony in being told not to discuss the slap:

The slap comes up in two tracks on the King Richard star’s album, according to Variety. One of the songs, “Int. Barbershop — Day,” features a smattering of voices making comments and sharing opinions about Smith’s actions. The song even kicks off with someone making the declaration that “Will Smith is canceled.” More mentions of the slap are featured in “You Lookin’ for Me?,” as it includes the verses, “Took a lot, I’m back on top/ Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated/ Won’t stop, my shit still hot/ Even though I won’t get nominated.”

Based on a True Story marks the multihyphenate’s first album release in nearly 20 years and, thus far, critics have reacted to it negatively compared to the star’s past work. During his interview, Tony Rock went on to explain that much of what he’d heard about the new music had to do with the references to the rapper’s exchange with his brother. While Rock believes that to be a poor selling point for a record, he also did give the “Gettin' Jiggy wit It” some credit in one respect:

Will Smith formally apologized to Chris Rock via an Instagram post shared shortly after the 2022 Oscars, and he provided an even longer apology in a video shared to social media that summer. In it, Smith acknowledged the damage that had been done and admitted that his relationship with Tony would be "irreparable." (Tony and Smith worked together on the UPN sitcom All of Us.) Chris bluntly addressed the clip during a stand-up comedy show, where he referred to it as a “hostage video.” In his stand-up special, Selective Outrage, Chris further critiqued Smith as well as his wife.

Since the slap occurred, there have been varied reports in regard to whether or not some kind of Rock/Smith reconciliation can happen. Tony Rock was asked that very question, and he provided an answer that sounded quite definitive:

Anything is possible, of course, as something could theoretically bring Will Smith and Chris Rock back together. However, given that Tony Rock refuses to even listen to Smith’s music, at the very least, it seems that there’s no love lost here.