has released a self-reflective song that appears to reference his recent legal issues, less than a month after , pending an appeal of his conviction for allegedly.
The track was uploaded onto the 39-year-old’s Instagram account, which states that it is currently run by his family, on Friday night.
Called Thank You God, the actor and singer’s lyric video to an excerpt of the tune begins with the message: ‘Channelling these thoughts the best way I know how. Love you… Jussie.’
Among the verses, he sings, in spoken verse style: ‘Some people searching for fame / Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this … this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?’
Seemingly referring to his recent experiences, he goes on: ‘Just simply to look like a victim / Like it’s something fun / Y’all better look at someone else / You got the wrong one.’
The post on the Empire star’s page also noted that ‘100% of the profits’ from the song would be donated between the Rainbow Push Coalition, the Illinois Innocence Project and Secure the Bag Safety.
The extract of Smollett’s track starts: ‘It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime / Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives / But turn around and act like I’m the one that Ki**ed the strides.’
He continues: ‘Maybe we stick together / Maybe we read more / Instead of saying that “It’s above me now” / Brother you sure?’
Elsewhere he thanks fans for their support as well as saying he ‘over-stands’ the reaction to his recent troubles.
‘But I wanna thank y’all / I know I still got you / This for the people who kept it real / Who kept it true,’ he sings, before adding: ‘Wait… Let me rephrase that / Cuz the narrative they played / I really over-stand the reason why y’all felt betrayed.
‘They had my own people / Thoughts going off the wall / That’s why from L.D. to Don I still got love for y’all / I know we’ll meet again / Talk like real men / Instead of sharing shade in rooms and up on CNN.’
Going on to reflect more widely on his feelings and actions, Smollett also says that ‘fame is nothing real’.
‘Thunder’s mad loud / Still I’m pushing through the clouds / All I’ve ever really wanted to do was make my people proud,’ he insists.
‘Fame is nothing real / It’s how you make them feel / Celebrity is for the birds / I ain’t no man of steel.’
The former child star, who appeared in films including The Mighty Ducks as a youngster, was released from jail on March 16 after serving six nights of a 150-night sentence for falsely claiming he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019.
He was released on a personal recognisance bond of $150,000 (£114,000), meaning he did not have to put down money but agreed to come to court as required.
While in jail, the actor had refused food, according to his lawyer, and spent just two of his six days in general population, before over fears for his mental wellbeing.
Smollett is now preparing to appeal his conviction in December on five felony counts of lying to police after allegedly .
He had reported to Chicago police in January 2019 that he had been attacked by two men wearing ski masks, who yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him and told him he was in ‘MAGA country’, in reference to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan, and even put a noose around his neck.
The manhunt for the attackers soon turned into an investigation into Smollett, who is claimed to have paid two men who he knew from work to carry out the attack, instructing them on what to say and do.
