On Sunday, Will Smith made a special appearance on the 2024 BET Awards stage. He performed his first single in over 19 years called “You Can Make It.”
Starting his performance off by being surrounded by fire and on what seems to resemble lava, Will Smith spit empowering rhymes,
“The darker the hell you gotta endure/The brighter the heaven you get to enjoy/The harder the fall, the higher you soar/God opens a window when the devil closes the door,” he rapped “Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith/In the rearview, I see adversity was the gift/To lift me higher gifts requires faith/So dry your eyes and then you’ll find was /Out of madness, out of the maze/And out of the saddest into the rays/The darkest of nights turns into day / And every storm runs out of rain.”
Elsewhere, Will Smith surprised the audience by bringing out the Sunday Service Choir, Chandler Moore, and Kirk Franklin. Moreover, he rapped alongside the harmonies formulated by the Sunday Service Choir, Chandler Moore, and inspiring words from Kirk Franklin and continued to deliver a powerful performance that garnered cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd.
The next part of his visually captivating performance featured what appeared to be rain, culminating in the extinguishing of the fire and Smith delivered more life-changing lyrics: “Nobody gets a ride/ We all have a cross to bare/But there’s wisdom in that fire/And every moment of your life is a brand-new opportunity/We are not being punished, we are being forged/Dance in your darkest moments.“
Later that night, Smith took to Twitter and shared a tweet that highlighted the performance. “I have returned Home!,” he typed. “The comeback is always bigger than the setback. #BetAwards.”
Leading up to the show, there was a shroud of mystery surrounding the song and Smith’s performance. BET‘s announcement last week provided little detail, with a quote from BET’s executive VP of specials, music programming, and music strategy Connie Orlando.
“Will Smith’s journey from rapper to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to box office star has solidified him as a global icon,” she stated. “We are excited to have return to the BET Awards stage to contribute to another memorable night for the culture.”
