Will Smith brought flames and faith to the stage at the BET Awards on Sunday. Smith returned to his music roots with the debut of his new song, “You Can Make It.” Featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir, Smith rapped about perseverance in the gospel-infused song.
“The darker the hell you gotta endure / The brighter the heaven you get to enjoy / The harder the fall, the higher you soar,” Smith rapped, surrounded by pyrotechnic fire on the stage. “God opens a window when the devil closes the door / Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith / In the rearview, I see adversity was the gift / To lift me higher gifts requires faith.”
Smith’s performance at the BET Awards follows his surprise Coachella appearance in April, when he showed up during J Balvin’s set for a rowdy rendition of his track “Men In Black,” which was initially released in conjunction with his hit 1997 movie of the same name.
The “Independence Day” star’s new music is his first solo material in over five years, teeing up his first major music release since his “Lost and Found” album from 2005. In recent years Smith has occasionally collaborated with other artists, including Bad Bunny and Marc Anthony. He dropped the EDM single “Get Lit” in 2017 and also released the track “Light ‘Em Up” with Sean Paul, which is on the soundtrack for his new film, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
Smith is a four-time Grammy-winning artist, in the rap performance category both solo and as part of a duo or group. His first win was for the 1988 song “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” which he performed alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff as the Fresh Prince. The pair also won for their 1992 track “Summertime.” As a solo artist, Smith won back-to-back rap performance Grammys in 1998 for “Men In Black,” and then “Gettin’ Jiggy with It” the following year.
The “Fresh Prince” is debuting new music at the 2024 BET Awards. Four-time Grammy winner Will Smith is performing a new original song at the annual award show on Sunday, June 30, BET announced in a press release June 24. Music was the Academy Award-winning actor’s career before the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” put him on the map for acting in the ’90s. Smith rapped the sitcom’s famous theme song.
The “Aladdin” actor already has a new single out, “Light Em Up,” with Sean Paul for the new film “Bad Boys: Ride Or Die,” in which Smith stars. He first found music stardom as part of a duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff, who also starred in “Fresh Prince” with him. Connie Orlando, executive vice president of specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, called Smith a “global icon” in the release. “We are honored to welcome him back to grace the BET Awards stage,” she said. “We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.”
Dubbed as “culture’s biggest night,” the show will also feature performances from Victoria Monet, Lauryn Hill, GloRilla, Tyla and Shaboozey. Smith has been leaning into his hip-hop roots more recently. In April, he surprised Coachella attendees when he joined singer J Balvin onstage to perform his 1997 song “Men In Black.” The song is also from a movie franchise in which Smith stars.
In December, he performed in “A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop” with DJ Jazzy Jeff. “Me and Jeff had to dust off the old chains and jerseys for this one ha,” Smith said in the description of his YouTube post at the time. He also said, “Sharing the stage to celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop with some of music’s biggest icons was nothing short of AMAZING!” “Definitely a moment I will never forget,” he added.
Will Smith is planning to take the stage at Sunday’s BET Awards to perform a song, a press release for the ceremony teased. The actor, 55, had recently teamed with Sean Paul to record a song called “Light Em Up” for his latest “Bad Boys” installment (“Bad Boys: Ride or Die”), though BET has indicated that Smith will be debuting a completely “new original song” at Sunday’s ceremony.
“From his start as a rapper to ‘The Fresh Prince’ to being a box office king as one of the Bad Boys, Will Smith is truly a global icon, and we are honored to welcome him back to grace the BET Awards stage,” said Connie Orlando, the executive vice president of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, in the press release. “We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.”
Smith, who began his career in music, had released five albums as part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, followed by four albums as a solo artist — the last of which, “Lost and Found,” was released in 2005. He has continued to release non-album singles, appear as a featured artist (sometimes on remixed songs) and contribute music to films.
In April, Smith also performed his 1997 hit “Men In Black” — written for the movie of the same name — during a surprise appearance during J Balvin’s set at Coachella. BET has not disclosed any further details concerning Smith’s upcoming appearance.
This Sunday’s performance also marks one of Smith’s only major awards-show appearances since the 94th Academy Awards, during which he took the stage to slap Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife. Smith won a Best Actor award later that evening, but was ultimately banned from attending any Academy event for 10 years.
Aside from Smith, Sunday’s BET Awards is scheduled to feature performances by Ice Spice, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, Tyla, and Lauryn Hill with YG Marley, among others. Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson is hosting. The BET Awards airs Sunday, June 30 at 8 p.m.
In what promises to be one of the most electrifying moments of the year, Will Smith is set to make his first major solo performance since the infamous Oscars incident with Chris Rock. The multi-talented star will grace the stage at the BET Awards this Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, where he will debut a new, original song. While details about the performance are being kept tightly under wraps, insiders hint that Smith is currently working on a new album, adding to the anticipation surrounding his return to music.
Smith’s upcoming appearance follows his surprise cameo with Colombian star J Balvin at Coachella in April, where he sported his iconic “Men in Black” costume during Balvin’s UFO-themed set. This playful yet powerful performance reminded fans of Smith’s versatility and charisma, setting the stage for what is expected to be a memorable night at the BET Awards. With his rich history in both music and film, Smith’s return to the stage is a testament to his enduring influence and adaptability in the entertainment industry.
The BET Awards, hosted once again by the talented Taraji P. Henson, is set to be a star-studded event. Grammy-winning singer Usher will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement BET Award, recognizing his incredible contributions to music and culture. The lineup of performers is nothing short of spectacular, featuring artists like Ice Spice, Sexyy Red, Latto, Lauryn Hill & YG Marley, Tyla, GloRilla, Muni Long, Shaboozey, and Victoria Monét. Rising star Tanner Adell will take the BET Amplified stage, while additional appearances by Cardi B, Davido, Gunna, the Roots, Common, Queen Latifah, and the Jungle Brothers ensure an unforgettable evening. Leading the nominees with seven nods is none other than Drake, promising a competitive and thrilling awards show.
“From his start as a rapper to ‘The Fresh Prince’ to being a box office king as one of the Bad Boys, Will Smith is truly a global icon, and we are honored to welcome him back to grace the BET Awards stage,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.” Coming off an extremely successful launch of Bad Boys 4, Will is on fire right now and we look forward to the show on Sunday.
The ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ star’s BET Awards performance follows his surprise Coachella appearance in April. It’s the return of Big Willie. This Sunday, June 30, Oscar and Grammy-winning superstar Will Smith will hit the stage at the 2024 BET Awards to debut a brand-new song — his first solo material in over five years. The network announced that his special performance will take place live during the awards show, which is hosted by Taraji P. Henson.
“From his start as a rapper to The Fresh Prince to being a box office king as one of the Bad Boys, Will Smith is truly a global icon, and we are honored to welcome him back to grace the BET Awards stage,” Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, said in a statement. “We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.”
Smith’s performance joins the stacked BET Awards lineup this year, which includes stars like Ice Spice, Tyla, Victoria Monét, GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red and Shaboozey. Ms. Lauryn Hill will also perform with her son, YG Marley, while country star Tanner Adell hits the BET Amplified stage.
Details about Smith’s forthcoming song are not yet known, but it’ll mark his first major release since his 2005 album, Lost and Found. He also dropped an EDM single titled “Get Lit” in 2017. Since then, the Bad Boys: Ride or Die actor has only released a handful of musical collaborations with artists like Bad Bunny, Marc Anthony and Joyner Lucas.
The last time Smith performed live was at Coachella 2024 in April when he made a surprise cameo during J Balvin’s UFO-themed set to revive his Men in Black days. To fans’ delight, the rap artist performed the franchise’s title hit (in full costume as Agent J), which served as the lead single off the 1997 soundtrack and featured on his debut album, Big Willie Style.
Recently, in honor of his latest Bad Boys film, Smith teamed up with reggae icon Sean Paul for their soundtrack collaboration “Light Em Up.” As far as new music goes, the I Am Legend 2 star confirmed to Extra that he’s “been in the lab” working on new material for the last year and a half.
“I have a project that is, without question, the most personal and powerful music that I’ve ever made,” Smith shared. “So, you know, I’m going to sneak that out on you in a month or so.”
The 2024 BET Awards air live on the network on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Source: CNN, NBC News, Nexstar, People
