Love him or hate him, Will Smith stays one of the crucial influential figures in leisure. From his early days as a Grammy-winning rapper to his iconic position on The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air, and later, his reign as one in every of Hollywood’s largest field workplace stars, Smith has left an simple mark on popular culture. Regardless of the fallout from the notorious Chris Rock slap, he’s been on a mission to reclaim his standing, not too long ago dropping his first album in 20 years, Primarily based on a True Story, on March 28.
As a part of his promotional run, Smith hit the Lyrical Lemonade studio for a “Lunch Break Freestyle,” a transfer that caught the eye of none apart from Kanye West. In an surprising flip, West momentarily hit pause on his newest social media tirades to reward the Hollywood legend.
West, who has been on a fiery Twitter streak, has taken pictures at figures like J. Cole, Virgil Abloh, Kendrick Lamar, and even his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. Amongst his extra viral takes, he dismissed J. Cole’s music, saying, “Nobody listens to J. Cole after shedding their virginity,” and rehashed previous grievances in opposition to Abloh, claiming, “Think about a n**** steal your dream and is given your crown as a result of he ain’t put on a purple hat, after which the tradition you constructed mad at you for talking up on it.”
Nevertheless, Will Smith’s freestyle appeared to shift Ye’s tone, no less than momentarily. Taking to Twitter, Kanye unexpectedly confirmed admiration for Smith’s profession and resilience, tweeting, “Will Smith is one in every of my largest inspirations. This n**** actually grew to become the most important film star on this planet. Married the baddest actress. Raised sensible youngsters. And nonetheless acquired that drive.”
Provided that the tweet landed on April 1, April Idiot’s Day, many followers have been skeptical about whether or not Kanye was being honest or just stirring the pot. Some customers referred to as him out for searching for validation, particularly after Smith not too long ago revealed that Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, not Kanye, have been the artists who impressed his new album. “Loopy how he solely referred to as Jay-Z and Kendrick for music recommendation as a substitute of you,” one fan identified, whereas one other chimed in, “Bro is searching for validation from ANYONE now that nobody fw him.” Others even questioned his tackle Jada Pinkett Smith, responding, “He didn’t marry the baddest actress, bro, you’re tweaking.”
No matter public response, Kanye’s momentary shift in vitality was surprising, particularly given his present sample of on-line chaos. His latest sit-down with DJ Akademiks solely added gasoline to the fireplace, as he took purpose at Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, Jim Jones, and extra. Whether or not this second of reward for Will Smith is a uncommon second of reflection or simply one other calculated transfer in Ye’s unpredictable saga stays to be seen.