Now, this is a story all about how, Will Smith is extending his return to music. Last month, the Bad Boys: Ride Or Die star made his shocking return on stage at the BET Awards with the track “You Can Make It,” which featured Kirk Franklin.
Today (July 13), Smith keep things old-school during his set at La Velada del Año IV inside of Spain’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Instead of performing his latest track, Smith treated the boxing fans to a mashup of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air theme song and his 2005’s single “Switch.”
Although most new fans are more familiar with the series’ reboot, Bel Air, between 1990 and 1996, The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air dominated TV.
“Blessed are the ears of those who can hear Will Smith sing the intro to ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ live,” wrote one user (roughly translated to English).
Dichosos los oídos de aquellos que pueden escuchar a Will Smith cantar la intro del principe de bel air en vivo pic.twitter.com/qvbo2a2Cvv
— kika (@doblasftcheetos) July 13, 2024
“I love that he’s on stage again and just having fun. This is what legends deserve,” penned another.
I love that he's on stage again and just having fun. This is what legends deserve.
— Yash (@BrawlYash) July 13, 2024
Another pointed about how great of a selection Will Smith was, given the night was all about influencers hitting the ring.
“The ultimate influencer Will Smith was a good fit,” wrote one user.
The ultimate influencer Will Smith was a good fit
— Jzon Azari (@JzonAzari) July 13, 2024
Ironically, despite the record’s popularity, it wasn’t actually supposed to be released. In June 2022, during an interview WTOP, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Smith’s longtime friend, collaborator, and the song’s writer, made the confession.
“I thought we were making a filler,” he said. “I thought this would be a thing they would use until they figured out what the real theme song was. We did it, I mixed it, and that’s the same thing that plays on television today. That still trips me out. It never changed.”
Well, clearly, producers saw the same special quality listeners have clung onto for so man y decades to follow.