Will Smith brought a powerful message about perseverance to the BET Awards.
After being introduced by host Taraji P. Henson on Sunday night, Smith returned to his rap roots and performed his new single “You Can Make It.”
The Oscar and Grammy winner told the audience inside L.A.’s Peacock Theater: “I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but whatever’s going on in your life, I’m here to tell you, you can make it.”
Standing in the middle of a ring of fire, he then rapped lyrics about overcoming obstacles and never giving up: “All the pain from the flames that you walk through /No one to talk to/ The ghost that’ll haunt you / And thoughts that’ll taunt you / Trying to heal but the battle’s uphill / And if God is for real / You just wonder if he’ll listen.”
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With backing from singer Chandler Moore, the Sunday Service Choir and gospel music legend Kirk Franklin, Smith continued with words about faith.
“The harder the fall, the higher you soar / God opens a window when the devil closes the door / Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith / In the rear view I see adversity was the gift,” he rapped.
The choir surrounded Smith at the end of the performance, and the audience stood and applauded.
“Every single moment of your life is a brand new opportunity. We are not being punished, we are being forged,” Smith told the audience. “Dance in your darkest moments.”
Smith released the song on his Instagram page on June 27. Sunday marked his first-ever BET awards performance.
Watch the video of Will Smith performing below:
