Eagles diehard Will Smith gives his hometown team a nod on ‘Beautiful Scars’
Ahead of the March launch of Smith's first album in 20 years, 'Based on a True Story,' the actor is 'flying as an Eagle, fresh out of Philly.'
Big Willie is back on the scene.
Oscar-winning actor Will Smith is releasing his first album in two decades, Based on a True Story, in March. His latest track, “Beautiful Scars,” proves the Fresh Prince still has it.
The West Philly native, 56, weaves in an Eagles tribute on the OmArr and LeXoskleteon-produced track. “Fly as an Eagle, fresh out of Philly. Yeah, I still rep the city. Mirrors on the wall, worth half a billi,” Smith raps in a video he posted on social media on Tuesday.
“Beautiful Scars” explores the perils of fame, the journey of self-acceptance, and the lessons learned through hardship. The song is accompanied by a music video inspired by the Keanu Reeves sci-fi classic, The Matrix.
The video starts off with scenes from a 2019 video, where Smith described his regretful decision to pass on the role of Neo to play Captain James West in the box office flop, Wild Wild West. “It’s one of those stories I’m not proud of, but it’s the truth. I did turn down Neo in The Matrix. I’m not proud of it.”
With rapper Big Sean playing a Morpheus-like role, he asks Smith to make the ultimate decision: blue pill or red pill. “Blue pill, everything remains the same and you get to move on with your life. Red pill, you get to go back and star in that movie that got away. The choice is yours,” he raps.
“I really like my life right now,” Smith replies.
Caught between the two options, Smith opts to live on in this AI-run world, maintaining the life he’s led with no regrets — Chris Rock slap and all.
The rest of the video, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys: Ride of Die), switches between re-imagined scenes from the film, and behind-the-scenes footage of the music video.
The six-minute video closes with a cryptic message from the simulation: “Wake up, Will. The matrix has you.”
Through it all, Smith has remained loyal to Philly sports. At the 40th Grammy Awards, he accepted his Best Rap Solo Performance award for “Men in Black” wearing a Phillies cap and jersey. More recently, ahead of the Eagles’ Week 13 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, he posted a video reaffirming his family’s fandom.
“This is a sensitive situation for our family, and we goin’ keep it real simple today,” Smith said as he panned the camera to a small group. “The first thing we want to know is, ‘Where’s Philly at?’.”
The caption for the video, which the Eagles team later reposted, included the very fight song Smith referenced on his new track.
“On game day, it’s FLY EAGLES FLY in this household 🦅😂🦅. Philly vs Bmore today!!,” Smith wrote.