Will Smith and Joyner Lucas are reportedly working on a joint LP. On Monday (Sept. 25), Lucas took to Instagram to wish the actor, who turned 55, a happy birthday and dropped news of the project’s imminent arrival.
The Massachusetts rapper posted a behind-the-scenes clip showing the two of them in the studio. They were seen working on the cadence for an unreleased track. Lucas penned an emotional caption: “Dear hero. I never thought I’d ever meet you. Still trips me out that I grew up idolizing you, to then me making a record about my admiration for you, to then you asking me to create a whole album with you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, [Will Smith]. Love you till the end of time, my dear brother.”
Notably, this isn’t their first collaboration. In 2020, Lucas released “Will,” which served as a standout single from his ADHD album, as a tribute to Smith. The song nodded to the actor’s iconic roles, including “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and Men in Black. Smith later joined the official remix.
The upcoming joint project will mark Smith’s first full-length body of work in nearly two decades. While details are still scarce, the Instagram post certainly raised anticipation from fans.
Earlier this year, Lucas also nodded to the actor in “Devil’s Work Part 2.” The record fantasized about various reimagined pop culture events, including a world where Smith didn’t slap Chris Rock at the Oscars.
He rapped, “Maybe we can undo all the damage, press rewind. Reset the clock and make it so some n**gas never die. And maybe fix all the mistakes of those who still alive and give them all a second try. Erase that Will Smith slap and turn him back around. Or wait till they get backstage, so they could have it out. Or maybe make it so that Chris chose a different joke. A different topic, somethin’ Jada won’t be mad about.”