Will Smith To Perform First New Song In Seven Years At BET Awards
Will Smith is having a moment. The entertainer just scored a massive box office hit with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The press tour for the action sequel has gone a long way in restoring Smith’s goodwill with the public. He knows it too, because he isn’t taking any plays off. In fact, Smith is doubling down and has decided to return to his hip-hop roots. On June 24, the Oscar winner announced that he will perform at the upcoming BET Awards. To make things even more interesting, he will be playing a brand new song.
Smith has flirted with hip-hop a few times in the 2020s. He collaborated with artists like Logic and Joyner Lucas, and he even performed “Men In Black” at Coachella this year. The difference with the BET Awards is that Big Willie Style will be giving fans original material. He hasn’t released a new solo song since 2017, and “Get Lit” didn’t exactly light the world up. Will Smith hasn’t had a top 10 single since “Switch,” which came out in 2005. Now’s the time to attempt a comeback, though, and BET confirmed the performance with a Variety press release.
Will Smith Is Allegedly Working On A New Album
The release was penned by Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming and Music Strategy at BET. “From his start as a rapper to The Fresh Prince,” she stated. “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. We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.” Smith hasn’t divulged any details about the song or the album that it will reportedly serve as a single for. He did, however, discuss why he felt compelled to pick up the microphone during a 2015 Guardian interview.
Will Smith credited his son, Jaden, and Kanye West, for prompting his musical rebirth. “My son tells me I have to write out the things I don’t like,” he told to the outlet. “I can’t write and stop, I have to keep going and going and write them out. I’ve never worked like that before but I think I might give that a shot… I’m exploring.” It’s taken nearly a decade for this exploring to come to fruition, but it sounds like Smith may have finally found what he was looking for. We’ll know for sure on June 30 when the BET Awards air.
About The Author
Danilo is a writer based out of San Diego. He graduated from the Art Institute of Tucson with a B.A. in digital media, and has since forged a career as a pop culture journalist. He covered hip-hop for Heavy.com, Rhyme Junkies and PopMatters prior to joining HotNewHipHop.com. Danilo’s top five is constantly changing, but Biggie and Slug from Atmosphere remain permanent fixtures. His favorite rap album of all time is “Late Registration” by Kanye West, and that stays the same.
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