The Grammy winner stood tall as a parade of artists performed his hits: Childish Gambino started with U Don’t Have to Callaccompanied by Keke Palmer, who took the lead in You Make Me Wanna… Coco Jones appeared in the audience for a sensual performance of There Goes My Babyin which he serenaded Usher and his wife Jenn Goicoechea.
Summer Walker took the stage to Good Goodtinashe hizo Nice & Slow, Marsha Ambrose approaches Superstar y Chle interpret Good Kisser. Teyana Taylor and Victoria Mont teamed up for Bad Girlrecreating Usher and Beyoncé’s choreography for the song. Latto brought the energy of Yeah!In a way, the tribute highlighted the women who were the protagonists of much of the evening, dominating the performances.
Following performances by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, Usher accepted the award from music executive LA Reid.
“Getting here definitely hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it,” Usher began his lengthy speech, reflecting on his career that has spanned more than three decades. Though he questioned the timing, saying, “I’m still alive and kicking and I still love this (expletive) like I did when I was 8 years old,” he said.
Much of his speech could not be heard by the audience watching it on television because it was censored.
“I forgive each and every person who had anything negative to say about me because it only motivated me to be who I am,” she said at one point.
The return of Will Smith
Earlier in the evening, Will Smith stood in a circle of fire, accompanied by Fridayy and the Sunday Service gospel choir, to make the live debut of his single, You Can Make It.
“I don’t know who needs this right now,” Smith said. “But I’m here to tell you that you can do it.”
Halfway through, Kirk Franklin joined in, and then the two rapped together. “Nobody has an easy ride,” said Smith, who is making his comeback after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars two years ago. “There’s wisdom in that fire. Dance through your darkest moments.”
The upcoming presidential election was a big topic of conversation throughout the show. After Childish Gambino presented Killer Mike with the Album of the Year award for his performance, Michael, The rapper used his acceptance speech to address his arrest and the Grammy voting.
“Technically, I wasn’t supposed to be here. I was handcuffed and dragged out of this building. But I want to tell you, look at God. ‘Cause I’m back, baby. I’m back and I’m winning,” he said in his speech. Killer Mike was arrested at the Grammys earlier this year for a physical altercation that he said was caused by an “overzealous” security guard; he was not charged in the incident.
“They’re going to tell you that who we vote for is important,” he continued, “and it’s who we vote for on the big stage. It’s important, but it’s more important that you know who your city councilor is, who your prosecutor is.”
Other presentations
Megan Thee Stallion opened the show by emerging from an egg, a metaphor for her new musical renaissance, before diving into an energetic medley of her new singles. Hiss y Boa.
“BET, where are my girls?” he said, waving to Mont and Jones in the crowd before launching into song. Where Them Girls Atwhose title in English means that, where are the girls?, a song that has been a fan favorite since the release on Friday of her third studio album, Megan.
Taraji P. Henson hosted the show at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Her opening monologue was a performance. Henson raps It’s about usin a free parody of Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar, which he released amid his renewed feud with Drake.
“There’s no beef here tonight,” I joked, “Can we say it’s plant-based?”
Tyla, the South African superstar of Johannesburg’s amapiano, a subgenre of electronic music originating in South Africa, won two honors on the show, starting with best international artist.
Later in the evening, she would take home the award for best new artist. “It’s crazy,” she said. “I just want to dedicate this to Africa.”
Mont, who earlier this year won the Grammy for best new artist, made his BET debut and set the bar high for performances, condensing a full set into a few minutes with three costume changes and a couple of songs, On My Mama y Alright.
Then, Sexyy Red took the stage, performing her soft ballad U My Everything before moving on to another stage and a change of costume: addressing Get It Sexyy in front of an LED screen representing the White House and dancers dressed as the Secret Service.
The show took a turn in tone when VanVan and Heiress Harris, two child rappers, performed their empowerment anthem Be You in a classroom. Harris is the daughter of rapper T.I. and singer Tiny Harris.
The award for best R&B/pop artist went to SZA and best actress to Regina King, who did not attend; the BET HER award went to Mont for On My Mamabrought his mother to greet him.
Country musician Tanner Adell brought him Buckle Bunny and his new song, Cowboy Break My Heart. GloRilla came down to join her dancers for Yeah Glo! y Wanna Be, the latter of which saw a surprise appearance from Megan Thee Stallion. Shaboozey kept it country with A Bar Song (Tipsy) and was joined by rapper J-Kwon, who appears on the song, creating an unexpected and rewarding collaboration across all genres.
Lauryn Hill closed out the night, starting with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and passing by Lost Onesbefore introducing his son YG Marley for his reggae tracks Survival y Praise Jah In The Moonlight. Best of all, Wyclef Jean appeared, and the trio, in front of a full band, performed Where-To-Find-It Fugees. Pras, the third member of the Fugees, was absent. The rapper, who was charged with multimillion-dollar racketeering and campaign finance conspiracy spanning two presidencies, was convicted in April.
FUENTE: AP
