The 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night were a celebration of Black excellence. Hosted by actress and author Taraji P. Henson, the evening welcomed standout performances from Megan Thee StallionLauren Hill, Will Smith and more — with Usher taking home a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Drake led with a whopping seven nominations, including album of the year for For all dogsalthough he left with zero wins. Nicki Minaj received six critical acclaims, including album of the year Pink Friday 2, ultimately only taking home the award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. It was also an unforgettable evening for him Victoria Monetwho earned her first pair of BET awards for the music video “On My Mama.”
Murderer Mike‘s sixth studio album, Michaelearned the rapper an award for Album of the Year, while Beyoncé won the Viewer’s Choice Award for her country single “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Her daughter Is the movie currently playing?The 12-year-old, who she shares with husband Jay-Z, took home the YoungStars Award.
From the night’s winners to notable performances, here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 BET Awards.
🎤 Taraji P. Henson Channels Kendrick Lamar
Henson, the master of ceremonies, arrived dressed as Lamar and proceeded to launch into a parody of the rapper’s hit single “Not Like Us.”
The single was released by Lamar amid his feud with fellow rapper Drake, and while the original lyrics took aim at Drake, Henson’s were rewritten to celebrate black culture, replacing “They not like us” with ” This about us”.
🇺🇲 Artists mock Trump’s ‘black jobs’ claim
Former President Donald Trump was referenced throughout the evening, beginning with Henson’s opening monologue, in which she referenced comments he made during the June 27 presidential debate about immigrants “taking black jobs” from Americans.
“[This is] a show full of all-stars with black tracks,” she said. “Whatever that means. But we clearly know there is a difference. Thanks for the info, but we already knew that.”
During the debate, Trump criticized Biden’s immigration policies, saying, “They’re taking black jobs right now — and it could be 18, it could be 19, it could be 20 million people. They’re taking black jobs and they’re taking Hispanic jobs.”
Media personality B. Simone also referenced Trump’s comment when she asked the audience if jobs like hairstylist, TSA agent or TV judge were considered “black jobs,” which didn’t resonate with some viewers on social media.
🕶️ Usher’s Lifetime Achievement Award Speech
Usher got introspective when talking about his father while accepting a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I tried to understand the name a man gave me, but it wouldn’t stick because he didn’t love me,” he said of his relationship with his father, according to USA Today. “Or at least that was my perception of it, because I had to live long enough to understand that you have to have a forgiving heart to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of being a black man in America.”
“Y’all gotta be willing to forgive, y’all,” the rapper added. “That makes us human.”
📣 Killer Mike’s call to action
Rapper Killer Mike gave an impassioned speech about the upcoming presidential election, accepting an award for Best Album.
“Technically, I shouldn’t have been here,” he said, referring to an incident at the 2024 Grammy Awards in February in which he was arrested after a scuffle with a security guard. He will not press charges over the incident. “I was handcuffed and marched out of the building. But I want to tell you, look to God, because I’m back, baby, I’m back.
Mike then took the opportunity to encourage viewers to vote.
“They’re going to tell you it matters who we vote for and it does,” he said. “Who we vote for on the big stage matters, but it’s more important that you know who your city councilman is, who your prosecutor is, and if you don’t like the people running, run your black ass to the polls and run yourself.”
🎶 Notable Performance: Will Smith’s ‘Comeback’ and Lauryn Hill’s Legacy
Megan Thee Stallion started her performance by hatching from an egg – an ode to her latest album, Meganwhich has an overarching snake motif, and sings a medley of songs from the album.
Smith performed his new song “You Can Make It” along with the Sunday Service Choir, Chandler Moore and Kirk Franklin. He later shared a clip of his appearance on X with the message: “I’m back home! The comeback is always greater than the setback.”
Hill took the stage with her son YG Marley. The mother-son duo delivered a heartfelt performance of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the title track from her iconic 1998 album.
🏆 Who were the winners?
Album of the year
-
WINNER: Murderer Mike, Michael
-
Chris Brown, 11:11
-
Gunna, A gift and a curse
-
21 Wild, American dream
-
Guard, Coming home
-
Drake, For all dogs (Scary Hours edition)
-
Victoria Monet, Jaguar II
-
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday 2
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
-
WINNER: SZA
-
Beyonce
-
Coco Jones
-
Doja cat
-
HER
-
Muni Lang
-
Tyla
-
Victoria Monet
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
-
WINNER: Usher
-
Brent Faiyaz
-
Bryson Tiller
-
Burna boy
-
Chris Brown
-
Drake
-
Friday
-
October London
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
-
WINNER: Nicki Minaj
-
Cardi B
-
Doja cat
-
GloRilla
-
Ice herbs
-
Latto
-
Megan Thee Stallion
-
Sexy Red
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
-
WINNER: Kendrick Lamar
-
21 Wild
-
Burna boy
-
Drake
-
Future
-
Gunna
-
J. Cole
-
Lil Wayne
Best New Artist
-
WINNER: Tyla
-
41
-
4Batz
-
Ayra Starr
-
Bossman Dlow
-
Friday
-
October London
-
Sexy red
Video of the year
-
WINNER: Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
-
Doja Kat, “Agora Hills”
-
Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, “All My Life”
-
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (featuring Aqua), “Barbie World”
-
Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion, “Bongos”
-
Drake featuring J. Cole, “First Person Shooter”
-
Usher, Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Good Good”
-
Drake Performance. Sexyy Red & SZA, “Rich Baby Daddy”
Viewer’s Choice Award
-
WINNER: Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ‘Em”
-
Doja Cat, “Agora Hills”
-
Lil Durk feat. J. Cole, ‘My Whole Life’
-
Gunna, “Fukumean”
-
Jack Harlow, ‘Lovin on Me’
-
Muni Long, “Made for Me”
-
Victoria Monet, ‘On My Mama’
-
Drake Performance. Sexyy Red & SZA, “Rich Baby Daddy”
-
Chris Brown met. Davido & Lojay, “Sensational”
-
Tyla, “Water”
YoungStars Award
-
WINNER: Blue Ivy Carter
-
Akira Akbar
-
Demi Singleton
-
Heiress Diana Harris
-
Jabria McCullum
-
Jalyn Hall
-
Leah Jeffries
-
From Van
BET Hair
-
WINNER: Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
-
Beyoncé, “16 Carriages”
-
Nicki Minaj with Tasha Cobbs Leonard, “Blessings”
-
Ayra Starr, “Commas”
-
Flo performance. Missy Elliott, “Fly Girl”
-
Megan Thee Stallion, “Hiss”
