Will Smith is working on a new album

"Can't leave rap alone, the game needs me," Jay-Z intoned on "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)." Will Smith evidently feels the same, because after some time off spent foisting his unbearable offspring on us, he's back and recording another album.

Currently in the middle of filming a third Men in Black film, Smith is also working on a new album, XXL Magazine reports. Don't call it a comeback. Seriously, don't.

"We're working on Will Smith, bringing him back. That's actually him on the other line right now," Lamar "Mars" Edwards told XXL.

Will Smith is certainly an interesting cultural phenomenon. I understand that he likes to think of himself as a rapper, but aside from some of the most egregious sampling ever committed, I think his legacy is a little more Hollywood-oriented at this point, unless you include popularizing the expression "gettin' jiggy wit it."

Smith's rapping has never been particularly good from a technical standpoint, but his singles did define a particularly happy-go-lucky time in the late '90s. And that's the problem: rap has branched off in so many directions, Smith's either going to come off as incredibly dated or, if he tries to freshen up his sound, like an rip-off artist. 

Plus, the Beastie Boys have the dad-rap thing on lockdown right now. Let them have their day, since the whole Tibet thing isn't working out quite so well.