- Will Smith released a brand-new single titled “You Can Make It” on Friday, June 28
- The rapper/actor will perform the song live Sunday at the 2024 BET Awards
- This marks Smith’s first major music release since 2017’s “Get Lit,” which arrived almost a decade after his last studio album
Will Smith is back with new music — and a new sound.
The four-time Grammy-winning rapper and actor, 55, has been on a solo music hiatus since dropping his 2017 EDM track “Get Lit,” which arrived over a decade after his last studio album, 2005’s Lost and Found. However, on Friday, June 28, the Bad Boys: Ride or Die star returned with a brand-new offering titled “You Can Make It.”
The uplifting single, backed by the Sunday Service choir (of Kanye West’s Jesus Is King fame) and assisted by Fridayy, finds Smith back in his rap bag as he shares an urgent message on his heart for listeners.
“You are in the smoke and the fire / Tight rope on the wires / I see you’re broken and tired / And all your hope is expired,” he raps on the track. “So many tests for the flesh / Exhausted, gasping to catch your breath / Walking through the valley of the shadow of death / and when you think you’ve got nothing left, keep going.”
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Later on in the song, the “Summertime” rapper seems to turn his encouraging advice to himself, as he alludes to dealing with past personal battles — like the infamous 2022 Oscars slap incident with Chris Rock — with lyrics like, “Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith / In the rear view I see adversity was the gift.”
He adds, “Out of the madness out of the maze / Out of the saddest into the rays / the darkest of nights turns into day / And every storm runs out of rain.”
Friday morning, Smith shared a clip of himself playing the piano instrumental from “You Can Make It” on social media and captioned it, “Through some of my darkest moments, music has always been there for me — to lift me and help me grow. It’s my humble wish that it can do the same for you and bring you all the joy and light you deserve.”
The musician concluded by saying he’s “excited” to perform the new song live on Sunday, June 30 at the 2024 BET Awards.
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Earlier this week, BET announced that Smith would join the award show’s star-studded performer lineup, which includes Ms. Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice, Tyla, Victoria Monét, GloRilla, Latto and more.
“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 press statement. “We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed.”
Smith’s return to music comes amid his box-office success with his latest Bad Boys installment starring Martin Lawrence. While speaking to Extra about the movie recently, the Fresh Prince star teased that he’s been “been in the lab” working on new music 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.”
It’s unclear if his new single will appear on the forthcoming project.
