In the April 4 episode of “Deep End With Lecrae,” actor-musician Will Smith talked about his rebirth, his faith journey, and his realization that materialism is meaningless.
Smith, 56, recently released “Based on a True Story,” his first album in 20 years. It contains explicit language, which is a departure from the rapper’s previous albums.
Since his infamous slap of Oscars host Chris Rock in 2022, Smith has laid low. But now the entertainer is emerging from what he described as his “cocoon period.”
Smith said he’s “finding new parts of me,” harnessing “new energies,” and trusting God enough to let go of things that aren’t serving him well anymore. He told Christian rapper Lecrae that involves “trusting yourself and God to create the new thing.”
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Will Smith on Oneness, Harmony and Truth
Will Smith, who has talked about loving the Lord and about being “a flawed human,” answered questions about his spiritual journey. Because he was raised by “an Old Testament grandmother,” he has biblical roots. “But I’ve read the Quran from cover to cover, during Ramadan two years ago,” Smith said. “I read the Bhagavad Gita from cover to cover. I read the teachings of the Buddha.”
“If I had to say what my religion is…I would take the Muhammad Ali quote, and my religion is love,” he continued. “I believe in the oneness and the possibility of harmony between people who are all reaching for the one truth.”
Referencing a new lyric about being spiritually bulletproof, Smith said, “We’re just a room full of sinners reaching for the Holy Ghost.” One sign of his recent growth is “the loss of my illusion of moral superiority,” he said, adding that “being humbled…[is] brutal and beautiful.”
When Lecrae said he’s impressed by the courageous expressions of humanity on the new album, Smith replied, “I think your testimony is everything.” He said, “It’s critical to speak your truth, because you teach and learn at the same time, and you never know who needed to hear what you had to say in that moment.”
In “Beautiful Scars,” Smith sings about being “only human” and rising up again, “closer to God.” In the song “Rave in the Wasteland,” he also uses religious imagery: “We in the heart of the revelation, this is the elevation / 144,000, we have been chosen to lead the awakening / Come to the altar / Changing the culture / Walking on water / I’m parting the oceans.”
Will Smith: You Have To Be ‘Reborn as Your Higher Self’
Talking about his career progression, Will Smith said he’s “having a ball” creating now, because he’s not doing it to pay the bills or to prove anything. “It’s more important to me to be authentic than it is to be number one,” he said. Therapy has helped him realize that “I love life in general.”
