The 22nd annual BET Awards took place this Sunday, June 26th, and there is so much to talk about! In case you didn’t know, the BET Awards are the “Black Entertainment” Awards established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black excellence, culture, and African Americans in various fields of the entertainment industry like music, acting, sports, and other fields! There were a lot of performances at this year’s BET Awards which featured some exciting collaborations between artists we would’ve never guessed!
Let’s look at what the four-hour night of celebration had to offer!
Starting off the night, we had the famous Hollywood actress, Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Hidden Figures, Person of Interest, etc.) as the host of the celebrations. Interestingly, this year’s awards placed a particular emphasis on MUSIC, while they usually showcase every aspect of the entertainment industry. Lizzo kicked off the performances for the night, performing her upbeat hit “About Damn Time” and rocking the stage. The four-hour broadcast definitely put performances at the forefront this year, featuring an incredibly star-studded lineup for Sean Diddy Combs’ tribute performance as he was given the “Lifetime Achievement” Award! Diddy featured Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Shyne, Lil’ Kim, Jadakiss and Sheek, Busta Rhymes, Bryson Tiller, and Faith Evans in his 13-minute set. The artist shouted out all the labels he worked with in the past and sang some of his biggest hits while also honoring the late Kim Porter, the Notorious B.I.G., and Heavy D in his performance for “I’ll Be Missing You”.
Jack Harlow, this year’s rising star, performed his song“Poison” with a guest verse by Lil Wayne, and of course, he had to perform his Billboard Hot 100 No.1 hit “First Class”. Bringing singer Brandy onstage, she also performed her freestyle verse on the track with Harlow! The BET also showcased a lot of newer talent and celebrated international artists like Nigerian artist TEMS, who won “Best International Act” and “Best Collaboration” for WizKid’s “Essence” where she and Justin Bieber featured on the track. Chloe Bailey’s stage lit up the stage for sure, as the 23-year-old sang her song “Treat Me” and ended with her newest single, “Surprise”.
Up-and-coming young artist, Latto, won “Best New Artist” and performed her song “It’s Givin’”, followed by a spectacular performance with the Mariah Carey and Young Dirty Bastard in a special song mashup of “Big Energy” and Mariah’s own hit song “Fantasy”. This performance was definitely a highlight of the night, and it’s even better because Latto mentioned wanting to work with Mariah Carey. We hope it was everything she dreamed of, and more!
Diddy’s acceptance of the “Lifetime Achievement Award” can’t go overlooked. Over the course of his three-decade career, Diddy has always given back to his community. In both music and society, Combs has committed to helping those in need and supporting inner-city youth in getting the education they deserve. In his acceptance speech for his award, Combs pledged to donate $1 million dollars to both Howard State University (His alma mater) and Jackson State University.
To go over some more winners of the night, we’d like to congratulate The Weeknd for winning the “Best Male R&B/Pop Artist” award after being nominated six times in the past. Megan Thee Stallion was awarded “Best Female Hip Hop Artist”, and Kendrick Lamar won “Best Male Hip Hop Artist”. The “Best Actress” award was taken home by Zendaya for her roles in HBO’s “Euphoria” and “Spiderman: No Way Home”. Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, and Silk Sonic won the “Best Group” award, as well as the “Album of the Year” award with their album titled “An Evening with Silk Sonic”.
Congratulations to all the winners of the 2022 BET Awards!
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