Will Smith's first album since 2005, 'Based on a True Story,' is full of self-help talk and a cocky sense of self-forgiveness, but not enough fun.

Why it matters: This isn't just Smith returning to rap after 20 years. It's a public reckoning — pain, shame and spiritual recalibration — set to gospel chords, booming drums and a hunger that recalls his rap roots and evolution as a man.

Will Smith could have let his infamous Oscar slap be his cinematic fade out with a career bruised, a marriage dissected and a reputation in a free fall.