"Miami" is a song by American rapper and actor

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

from his debut solo album, ''

Big Willie Style ''Big Willie Style'' is the debut solo album by American rapper and actor Will Smith. It was released on November 25, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album was primarily produced by Poke & Tone, with other contributors including L.E.S. and Smith's ...

'' (1997). It samples

the Whispers The Whispers is an American group from Los Angeles, California, who have scored hit records since the late 1960s. They are best known for their two number one R&B singles, " And the Beat Goes On" in 1980 and "Rock Steady" in 1987. The Whispers ...

's 1979 single " And the Beat Goes On". Released as a single on November 23, 1998, the song charted at number 17 on the '' Billboard'' Hot 100 and number three on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. "Miami" won a

MTV VMA The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video category ...

Best Male Video award. The video, which incorporates the first two verses and refrains of the selection's "radio edit" followed by the third verse and refrain of its "Miami Mix", features an early on-screen appearance of Smith's future '' Hitch'' co-star,

Eva Mendes Eva de la Caridad Méndez (, ; born March 5, 1974), known professionally as Eva Mendes, is an American actress, model and fashion designer. Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with a series of roles in films such as '' Children of the Cor ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, "Smith should have no problem maintaining the momentum of his current album, "

", with this third single, following the ubiquitous "

Gettin' Jiggy Wit It "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith, released as the third single from his debut solo album, ''Big Willie Style'' (1997). The verse is based around a sample of "He's the Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge, an ...

" and "

Just The Two Of Us Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...

". On "Miami", he talks us up with an ode to the heat, style, and hip factor of that city. This time around, Smith employs the instrumental

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

' 1979 single " And The Beat Goes On", which adds a classic, string-filled

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

backdrop as festive as the city itself. With Smith's record on the airwaves and at the box office, as well as his appeal with younger demographics, this really is a no-brainer, now isn't it?"

Music video

In the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song, Smith and members of his band are freezing in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where it is 30 degrees below zero causing a bandmate to curse

Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, ...

. They hop on a plane to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, and are shown going around Miami in their car and various scenes morph into one another. The video ends with Will Smith and his band performing a concert. The video features samples from

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

's hits "

Conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

" and "

You'll Be Mine (Party Time) "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)" is a 1996 song by Cuban American singer and songwriter Gloria Estefan. It was released as the follow-up to " Reach", as the second single from her seventh studio album, ''Destiny'' (1996). The song is a dance track ...

Track listings

UK CD1 # "Miami" (radio edit) – 3:19 # "Miami" (Miami Mix) – 4:40 # "Miami" (

Jason Nevins Jason Nevins (born December 15, 1972) is an American songwriter, record producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop and dance productions, including his multi-platinum, multi-million selling production of " It's Like That" by Ameri ...

"Live on South Beach Dub") – 5:10 UK CD2 # "Miami" (radio edit) – 3:19 # "

Just The Two of Us Just or JUST may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Just (surname) * Just (given name) Arts and entertainment * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just" (song), a song by Radiohead * "Just", a song from the album ''Lost and Found'' by Mudvayne ...

" (

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

Remix) – 4:14 # "

Just Cruisin' "Just Cruisin" is a song by American rapper and actor Will Smith. It features on '' Men in Black: The Album'' and the UK release of his debut studio album, ''Big Willie Style'' (1997). Released on November 25, 1997, in Europe only, the song reache ...

" (

Trackmasters The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...

Remix) – 4:11 UK cassette single and European CD single # "Miami" (radio edit) – 3:19 # "Miami" (Miami Mix) – 4:40 Australian CD single # "Miami" (radio edit) – 3:19 # "Miami" (Jason Nevins Live at "54" Mix) – 5:57 # "Miami" (Miami Mix) – 4:40 # "Miami" (Jason Nevins "Live on South Beach Dub") – 5:10

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Will Smith songs 1998 singles Columbia Records singles MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video Music videos directed by Wayne Isham Songs about Florida Songs written by Leon Sylvers III Songs written by Ryan Toby Songs written by Will Smith