Will Smith took fans back to 1997 with a surprise appearance at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on Sunday.
The Oscar winner, 55, joined singer J. Balvin for a performance of his hit single, “Men in Black,” from the 1997 film of the same name. Smith was in full costume for the performance, sporting the now-iconic black sunglasses and suit he wore in the sci-fi film.
Smith and Balvin, who appeared in a sequined silver ensemble, rapped the song together while backup dancers dressed as green aliens performed in the background. A giant alien head was shown behind the two men as they rapped the song, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in ’97 and earned Smith a Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Before the performance ended, Balvin was dragged off by two backup dancers dressed in the “Men in Black” costume. Smith is then shown holding up a “neuralyzer,” the gadget in the film that erases memories of aliens.
“Men in Black” was one of the highest-grossing films of 1997, receiving critical acclaim for Smith and his co-star, Tommy Lee Jones’ performances. The movie received three Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Makeup, and spawned a “Men in Black” franchise with two sequels starring Smith and one 2019 spin-off film in which he did not appear.
Smith received an ovation from fans for his performance, as well as praise online.
“The way you can actually hear Will Smith rap and it’s not 90% backing track like most of the Coachella clips I’ve seen. Old school rappers were built different,” SiriusXM radio host Reecie Colbert wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Will Smith is one of the last true all around stars,” another X user wrote. “A modern day matinee idol, who crosses racial/ethnic/socio-economic demographics. His impact over the last 30+ years cannot be under stated #Coachella.”
Media personality Luiz Fernando commented, “It’s great to see #WillSmith in his comeback story with epic appearance after epic appearance & see that audiences’ love for him hasn’t receded a bit. His cameo during #JBalvin’s gig at #COACHELLA was incredible. Good news for #Sony’s #BadBoysRideOrDie!”