“If you talking crazy out your face up on the stage and disrespect me on the stage, expect me on the stage,” Big Will rhymed before dropping, “Jokers dish it out/Cry out when it’s time to take it/City full of real ones wasn’t raised to fake it.”
During the live telecast of the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face. It resulted in a 10-year ban, but Rock never pressed charges.
Not to be confused with producer Marco Polo known for work with Masta Ace, Marco Polo Vision is a rapper and creative from Brooklyn. He recently dropped a video with Bun B and DMC called “Bun DMC.”
The track, styled as a parody of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, features animated characters like Uncle Phil and calls out Will Smith for what Polo sees as performative contrition and tone-deaf comeback bars.
“I grew up on both Chris Rock and Will Smith,” Polo said in a statement. “So when I saw Will Smith hit Chris Rock, it broke my heart. I felt like Will’s apology was a little pretentious with all the fake crying and all.”
Polo Vision says what stung more than the slap was Will’s attempts to revive his rap career using Rock’s assault as a bar double down. That’s when Polo decided to act.
“The Brooklyn in me felt like I had to speak up for my guy Chris Rock,” he explained. “He didn’t deserve that in the first place… and for Will to add insult to injury and diss him again? Nah.”
According to Polo, the song took just 20 minutes to write, but his purpose runs deeper.
“This isn’t about clout,” he insisted. “This is about protecting and preserving culture. White people love to see us going at each other like this, but even they aren’t supporting your nonsense, Will.”
Still, Polo Vision makes it clear he’s not a “hater,” recognizing he greg up on Smith’s legacy in entertainment and music.
“I grew up on “Nightmare on My Street,” “Summertime” and Fresh Prince,” he said. “But I won’t stand back while Will bullies Chris Rock just because Hollywood is crumbling and he has to deal with his own mortality.”
Polo Vision added that an apology from Will Smith to Chris Rock could resolve the issue on all fronts.
“I didn’t do this for beef. If Will apologizes to Chris, I’ll apologize to Will,” he stated. “But if he’s gonna stand on his nonsense, then I’ma stand on mine.”
Will Smith has yet to respond to the diss and may not even know it exists. Nevertheless, it seems like Polo Vision’s “The Fresh Dis of Bel-Air” is less about smoke and more about setting the cultural record straight.
“You wanna rap? Cool,” he concluded. “But don’t nobody wanna hear that bizzzaaaaaarreee ass stuff you on, Will. Respectfully.”
