Will Smith’s last album, Lost And Found, was released nearly 20 years ago. Since then, the former Fresh Prince has seen his fortunes both rise and fall thanks to a filmography that includes its fair share of duds among the hits, and one recent “hit” in particular that turned a sizable portion of the population against him.
However, it seems that all this has given him the urge to return to what made him a star in the first place: Rap. Last month, he performed a new song at the BET Awards, and today, he returns again with “Work Of Art.”
Featuring Uproxx cover star Russ and Will’s son Jaden, the new song hits the same vein as his BET Awards song “Bulletproof,” in that it has an uplifting message, with Smith comparing his struggles to those of historical figures like Jesus and manifesting ultimate victory in the face of his adversities as Jaden offers a nice father-son moment, singing the chorus.
Russ offers his own take on the positive programming — this stuff is right up his alley — admonishing listeners, “Just know that you’re looking right into a mirror when you judge me.” With Will’s fifth album peeking over the horizon, it’ll be interesting to see if this sort of material endears him to fans who remember him from his Big Willie days — or those who don’t remember him as a musician at all.
You can listen to “Work Of Art” by Will Smith featuring Russ and Jaden above.
