Will Smith made a dramatic return to music at the BET Awards 2024, debuting his new song “You Can Make It” in a fiery performance. The gospel-infused track, featuring Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir, showcases Smith rapping about perseverance and faith amidst adversity.
The performance, complete with pyrotechnic effects, marked Smith’s first solo musical release in over five years. His lyrics touched on themes of resilience and spiritual growth, with lines like “The darker the hell you gotta endure / The brighter the heaven you get to enjoy.”
This appearance follows Smith’s surprise performance at Coachella in April, where he joined J Balvin to perform his 1997 hit “Men In Black.” The new song signals a potential return to music for Smith, whose last major album “Lost and Found” was released in 2005.
Smith’s musical career includes four Grammy wins in the rap performance category, both as a solo artist and as part of a duo. His wins include the 1988 song “Parents Just Don’t Understand” with DJ Jazzy Jeff, “Summertime” in 1992, and solo victories for “Men In Black” and “Gettin’ Jiggy with It” in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
In recent years, Smith has collaborated with artists like Bad Bunny and Marc Anthony, released the EDM single “Get Lit” in 2017, and contributed “Light ‘Em Up” with Sean Paul to the soundtrack of his upcoming film “Bad Boys: Ride or Die.”
The BET Awards performance represents a significant moment in Smith’s musical journey, potentially setting the stage for more releases and performances in the near future. As a multi-talented entertainer with a strong musical background, Smith’s return to the music scene is likely to generate significant interest among fans and industry observers alike.