Gettin’ Quincy wit it.
Will Smith introduced a tribute to the late nice Quincy Jones on Sunday on the 2025 Grammys, introducing performances from Stevie Marvel, Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monáe and Lainey Wilson.
As a four-time Grammy winner himself, Smith was a becoming option to honor Jones, who handed away in November on the age of 91. Along with being one of many all-time music greats — with 28 Grammy wins to his identify — Jones was a outstanding determine in movie and TV. Amongst his producing credit: “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” the ’90s sitcom that rocketed Smith to superstardom.
Calling Jones “one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our times,” Smith mentioned, “In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives. But I have to say he changed mine forever. You probably wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones.”
The musical portion of the tribute to Jones, which was made up of songs he helped beginning, started with jazz pianist Herbie Hancock enjoying Jones’ ’60s instrumental monitor “Killer Joe.” Erivo then joined Hancock to sing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” which Jones organized, adopted by Lainey Wilson treating the gang to “Let the Good Times Roll,” earlier than Stevie Marvel introduced out his harmonica to carry out the jazzy “Bluesette.”
Marvel additionally took time to share his personal reflection on Jones’ legacy earlier than main a youngsters’s choir from a faculty that burned down in the course of the Palisades Hearth in singing “We Are the World,” which Jones produced 40 years in the past this yr.
“We are still the people who will fight and die for this nation, so we definitely have to be able to celebrate each other’s cultures all the time.”
Monáe capped off the tribute with a rousing tackle Michael Jackson’s traditional “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough.”
Smith’s involvement within the tribute was introduced by the Recording Academy in an Instagram put up shared on Friday.
“A GRAMMY moment you don’t want to miss!” the music org captioned the put up. “@WillSmith will present the touching tribute celebrating the life and legacy of Quincy Jones at the 67th #GRAMMYs.”
After Jones’ passing final yr, Smith paid tribute to the icon in a put up on Instagram.
“Quincy Jones is the true definition of a Mentor, a Father and a Friend,” he captioned a black-and-white picture of himself with Jones on the set of “The Fresh Prince.”
“He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to. He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly.”
Smith’s look on the Grammys stage on Sunday night time marked essentially the most high-profile award present he has attended after he slapped Chris Rock, 59, on the 2022 Academy Awards over a joke the comic made about Smith’s spouse, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Final June, he carried out on the 2024 BET Awards and attended the 2023 African-American Movie Critics Affiliation Awards. Smith was initially slated to carry out as a part of a tribute to have fun 50 years of hip-hop in the course of the 2023 Grammys however ended up bowing out.
The fourth installment of his “Bad Boys” franchise, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” hit theaters in 2024 and racked up huge numbers on the field workplace.
The Grammys play into one other deliberate a part of Smith’s profession rehabilitation: his return to music. The “Independence Day” star plans on releasing three albums in 2025 and hopes to mount a full tour.
