Will Smith, 55, has had some fire to tame regarding his appearances at award shows. However, the actor’s presence at this year’s BET awards revealed a different side compared to the one shown with his infamous incident with Chris Rock from the 2022 Academy Awards.
On Sunday, in a circle of fire backed by the Sunday Service Choir and R&B singer Friday, Smith rapped his new song “You Can Make It,” addressing the difficult times he experienced personally and professionally. “I’m here to tell you, you can make it,” he told the audience at the Peacock Theater at the top of the performance, which ended with this message: “Dance in your darkest moments.”
“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.”
The Grammy-winning rapper and Oscar-winning actor received a standing ovation from the audience, with actress and event host Taraji P. Henson expressing excitement as she introduced Smith, calling him “my brother.”
The I am Legend actor 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.
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”.
Not only did The Pursuit of Happyness actor have the opportunity to discuss topics of growth and endurance, but 45-year-old superstar Usher also called on the crowd to forgive those who have wronged you.
“We gotta be willing to forgive. We gotta be willing to be open. I’m telling you — you’re standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up, ever, and look at what I made with it,” Usher said as the audience cheered. “Look at what I was able to usher in. That’s what’s real and that’s what makes us human.”