Men in Black (song)

"Men in Black"
Single by Will Smith featuring Coko of SWV from the album Big Willie Style
Released	August 1997
Genre	Pop rap
Length	3:48
Label	Columbia Records
Writer	Will Smith, Patrice Rushen, Terry McFadden, Fred Washington
Producer	Poke and Tone
Will Smith featuring Coko of SWV singles chronology
"Boom! Shake the Room" (1993) "Men in Black" (1997) "Just Cruisin'" (1997)

The song "Men in Black" was recorded by rapper and actor Will Smith (also featuring singer Coko) for the movie Men in Black, in which he also starred. The song plays during the movie's closing credits. Will Smith raps about how the MiBs "Walk in shadow, move in silence" and play the role of "first, last and only line of defence, against the worst scum of the universe." The song won Smith a Grammy in 1997 for Best Rap Solo Performance. "Men In Black" features a sample of and a re-sung chorus from "Forget Me Nots" by Patrice Rushen. In a twist, the line "I want you to remember" is changed to "They won't let you remember", in reference to memory-erasing devices used in the Men in Black movie. Aside from appearing on the movie's soundtrack, the song also appears on Will Smith's Columbia Records album Big Willie Style and reached #1 on charts in the UK, Australia and Germany. The song didn't chart on the Billboard Hot 100 because it was not released as a commercial single in the US; at the time, only songs that were commercially released as singles were eligible. It also reached #9 in the United World Chart. The music video for the song also appears on the DVD The Will Smith Collection.

External links

• Will Smith Singles Chart at All Music Guide