"Disrespect me on the stage, expect me on the stage" - Will Smith references infamous Chris Rock Oscars slap on new freestyle

It seems Will Smith is ready to break his silence — through music. The Academy Award-winning actor and rapper appeared on Fire in the Booth with British DJ Charlie Sloth on June 22, delivering a blistering freestyle that seemingly revisits the notorious moment when he slapped comedian Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Oscars. The line that has everyone talking?

“If you talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespect me on the stage, expect me on the stage.”

Though Will Smith doesn’t mention Rock by name, the allusion to that infamous night is hard to miss.

To make sure Smith’s freestyle doesn't stray away from his narrative, he integrates it with details to bolster his prior claims.

“Jokers dish it out, cry foul when it’s time to take it / City full of real ones, wasn’t raised to fake it,” captures much of the anger and disbelief emanating from the not-so-distant memory of March 2022.

Will Smith’s freestyle stands as one of the most immediate verbal responses to the slap in question, suggesting that time may have advanced for everyone around him but the significance of that instant — and everything that followed because of it — continues defining elements of his existence.

The freestyle follows a pattern in Smith’s recent artistic output. His March 2025 album Based on a True Story hinted at themes of being “canceled” and unfairly judged, with tracks like “Int. Barbershop — Day” featuring dialogue about his relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith and the slap’s fallout. But this latest verse strikes a more personal and defiant tone, leaving little doubt that Smith is owning the moment in his own words — rhythmically, unapologetically.

Slap echoes through lyrics, not just headlines for Will Smith

While Will Smith has mentioned the 2022 incident in his songs before, this is perhaps the most straightforward example. Smith put out his first studio album in 20 years, Based on a True Story, in March 2025 and it featured references to the controversy.

In the intro track “Int. Barbershop — Day,” a voice bluntly says, “Him and Jada both crazy, girl, what you talkin’ bout? / You better keep his wife’s name out of your mouth.”

Later, in the track “You Lookin’ for Me?”, Smith adds, “Took a lot, I’m back on top / Y’all gon’ have to get acclimated / Won’t stop, my s--- still hot / Even though I won’t get nominated.”

As a result of the Oscar event, Will Smith suffered immediate consequences and turned to Instagram to express his remorse.

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he wrote in March 2022.

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He also went on to say that accepting jokes at his expense was part of the job but Rock’s comment about Jada’s medical condition was too much for him to bear which led him to act out emotionally. Will Smith subsequently left the Academy voluntarily and received a self-imposed 10-year ban from attending events.

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