The Fresh Prince returns! Will Smith will perform a new song at the 2024 BET Awards
The awards show will also feature performances from Ice Spice, Latto, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Tyla, Victoria Monét, and more.
Will Smith is hitting pause on movie star mode to return to his rap roots.
On June 30, the Fresh Prince himself will take the stage to perform a new original song at the 2024 BET Awards, hosted for the fourth time by Taraji P. Henson.
Commenting on Smith’s upcoming performance, Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, said, "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. We look forward to Will adding to yet another defining night for the culture that is not to be missed."
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Will SmithThe award show will also feature performances from GloRilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Ms. Lauryn Hill, YG Marley, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, Tyla, and Victoria Monét. Additionally, Usher is set to be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement BET Award.
Smith recently returned to music with a new Sean Paul collaboration “Light Em Up,” which was featured on the soundtrack for his latest film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die. The song marked his first release in nearly half a decade, following his guest appearance on Joyner Lucas’ “Will (Remix)” in 2020.
Unless you count his features on the Aladdin soundtrack — the live-action Disney adaptation in which he filled Robin Williams’ shoes as Genie — Smith has been rather quiet on the music front, focusing instead on his acting career. But lest the world forget, the Oscar-winner also has four Grammy-wins to his name.
Related: Will Smith sneaks into Bad Boys: Ride or Die screening, surprises fans
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Smith has certainly been hinting at his renewed interest in music. Earlier this year, he joined J Balvin onstage at Coachella. Last year, after collaborating with Smith on his remixed track, Lucas marked the movie star’s 55th birthday with a behind-the-scenes clip of the duo working on unreleased music in the studio.
“Dear hero. I never thought I’d ever meet you,” Lucas wrote. “Still trips me out that I grew up idolizing you, to then me making a record about my admiration for you, to then you asking me to create a whole album with you. Happy Birthday. Love you till the end of time, my dear brother.”
The 2024 BET Awards will air live on Sunday, June 30 on BET at 8 pm ET/ PT.
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