Will Smith debuts new gospel tune in first award show appearance since infamous Chris Rock Oscars slap
It's been a while since we've seen Will Smith on stage, so was the wait worth it? Yeah it was.
Two years ago, the Fresh Prince's world went spiralling out of control after he stormed the stage during Chris Rock's presentation at the Oscars in 2022 and slapped him across the face.
It happened at the awards ceremony just before Smith picked up an illusive Academy Award - which he had only been nominated for twice before - for Best Actor for his part in King Richard.
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A while has passed since it happened, so let's go over it again - the then 53-year-old was sat in the audience with wife Jada Pinkett Smith when host Rock made a joke about her being bald.
Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes hair to fall out.
Rock joked during his monologue: "Jada, I love you, GI Jane two, can't wait to see it!" - which referenced the 1997 film GI Jane, where the lead actress shaved off her hair to join the military.
The line drew some laughs from the crowd, including Smith himself, before he realized his wife did not find it funny and in turn, marched on stage to slap Rock before yelling: "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth."
It wouldn't be until a few months later when Smith would issue a public apology to Rock via a YouTube video, with him saying: "I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
As a consequence for his actions, the Men in Black actor was banned from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.
However, Smith has gotten 'jiggy wit it' once more after he was invited on stage at the recent BET Awards, an American award show created by the Black Entertainment Television network.
The awards celebrate Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy.
He wowed the crowd on Sunday night (30 June) as he performed his new single 'You Can Make It' alongside the Sunday Service Choir and Haitian-American singer Fridayy.
Smith, who in 1989 won the first hip-hop Grammy with DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince for Best Rap Performance with their 1988 hit single 'Parents Just Don't Understand', rapped about being 'broken and tired'.
In his first lines, he sang: "You are in the smoke and the fire, tight rope on the wire; I see you're broken and tired, and all your hope is expired; you're just done with the change and the games and the shame."
The emotion poured out from Smith, who could have been mistaken for a preacher - fitting with the Sunday Service Choir behind him.
He continued in his second verse to rap about how 'they tried to bleed Will Smith' and how he endured 'the darkest of nights', before adding 'every storm runs out of rain, hold on'.
The powerful hit single brings a raw Smith to the table, and while the onus on forgiving Smith must come from Rock, you can definitely see he understands what he did was wrong.
'You Can Make It' can be streamed on Apple Music and Spotify now.
Topics: Will Smith, Chris Rock, Oscars, Music, Entertainment
Joe Yates