There were two milestones celebrated during this event. First, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the awards show. Secondly, the BET network turned 40 years old earlier this year in January.
What is usually a joyous celebration of Black culture and excellence turned out to be quite melancholy. Many of the artists dedicated their performances to the countless members of the Black Community who were mercilessly killed by the police. Furthermore, they focused on the Black Lives Matter protests, racism, the escalated police brutality, and the recent tragic events that occurred over the past few months. The performers either wrote new songs or revised old ones to reflect the current state of race relations in this nation.
Amanda Seales hosted the BET Awards and did a great job. She kicked off the show with a powerful monologue that addressed current events, racism, and Juneteenth. Also, she mentioned Trayvon Martin, Botham Jean, and Breonna Taylor during her routine. Also, each time she came back from commercial break, she paid homage to the network’s original shows such as Teen Summit, 106 & Park, and Video Soul.
Here is a list of performances and special moments from the show: Table of Contents
Performances
Opening Act: Keedron Bryant and Public Enemy Featuring Nas, Rhapsody, Black Thought, Quest Love, Jahi & YG
This was my favorite performance of the evening. It started with Keedron Bryant emotionally singing, “I Just Wanna Live.” Shortly after, Nas, Rhapsody, Black Thought, Quest Love, Jahi & YG joined Public Enemy in a powerful performance. They did an updated version of Public Enemy’s classic song “Fight the Power.”
The rappers highlighted the protests against police brutality and racial injustice that was triggered as a result of the murders of Breonna Taylor, Armaud Aubrey, George Floyd, and many others of the Black Community.
It was a great way to kick off the event, and it gave me life! There was a surge of energy and empowerment that coursed through my veins. As invigorating as this performance was, I also felt nostalgic. I wanted to travel back in time to 1989, when I was thirteen years old, taping my favorite hip-hop songs from the radio. It made me realize how much I miss songs with superb lyrical content, which is lacking in many of the songs today.
Roddy Ricch- “High Fashion” & “The Box”
I loved this performance because it shows how creative and versatile Roddy Ricch is. He played the piano while rapping his song “High Fashion.” Next, he performed his chart-topping single, “The Box.” He saluted the recent protests, all while donning a Black Lives Matter Shirt.
John Legend-“Never Break”
John Legend gave a very moving performance of “Never Break.” The songs started with the sounds of police sirens, glass breaking, helicopters circling, and gunshots. He blessed us with his powerful vocals while playing the piano. He was accompanied by a choir that practiced social distancing while singing in the background. The message of this song is beautiful, inspiring, and is necessary considering the times in which we currently live.
Masego-“Queen Tings”
Masego’s performed his song “Queen Tings.” His soothing vocals made me feel as if I was floating on a cloud. The vibe was so calm, peaceful, and relaxing. Let’s not forget how beautiful the scenery was with all of those plants! He even played the saxophone towards the end of his set. His performance was as smooth as silk and was the breath of fresh air that we needed. I wish that his performance was a little longer.
D Smoke & SIR-“Let Go” & “Black Habits”
D Smoke and his brother SIR joined together and gave a powerful performance of “Let Go’, which was created after police officers killed George Floyd. The set started with a man dressed in all black dancing in front of a burned car as cops in riot gear patrolled the streets. For the next song, “Black Habits,” they were joined by their mother, Jackie Gouche, who sang the chorus.
Megan Thee Stallion-“Girls In The Hood” & “Savage Remix”
Megan Thee Stallion delivered an energetic performance. Unlike many of the other artists, she performed outside, in the desert, giving us California Love and Mad Max vibes. She sang her newly released song “Girls In The Hood,” which was inspired by Eazy -E’s “Boyz N The Hood.” She also did the “Savage Remix” (without Beyonce’).
Okay, so maybe Megan Thee Stallion strayed very far away from the theme of Black Lives Matter. In my opinion, her performance was a welcome break from some of the tearjerkers we have seen so far.
DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch -“Rockstar”
DaBaby and Roddy Ricched teamed up to perform a remix to “Rockstar.” The new version of the song was released after the recent protests. The outstanding performance began with DaBaby being held to the ground. As the camera zooms in, he is handcuffed, face down to the ground as a police officer has his knee pressed on his neck, which is a reflection of the killing of George Floyd. The scene changed to DaBaby rapping in front of burned cars. Roddy Ricch kicks his verse on top of a police car as protestors marched through the streets. The performance ended with a young girl tearfully explaining why we have to protest.
Jennifer Hudson- “Young, Gifted, & Black”
Jennifer Hudson begins her performance by playing the piano while soulfully singing “Young Gifted And Black.” Then there was a trailer of the movie Respect, in which she portrays The Queen Soul, Aretha Franklin.
Anderson Paak & Jay Rock-“Lockdown”
Anderson .Paak and Jay Rock joined forces to deliver an incredible performance and message with “Lockdown.” The song was released in time for Juneteenth and addressed the coronavirus pandemic, the racism, police brutality, the protests and the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Lonr- “Make the Most”
Lonr. performed his single “Make The Most” The song is beautiful, and his vocals are amazing.
Wayne Brady- “Lucille,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Long Tall Sally,” & “Tutti Frutti”
The multitalented Wayne Brady paid tribute to the late, great Little Richard. He sang a medley of songs, including “Lucille,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Long Tall Sally’, and “Tutti Frutti.” Not only did he sing, but he also danced and played the piano. I think he did a fantastic job.
Lil Wayne -“Kobe Bryant”
Lil Wayne paid tribute to Kobe Bryant, the NBA star who died in January. He did an updated version 2009 song “Kobe Bryant,” which also included lyrics to honor Bryant’s daughter Gianna. Throughout the performance, clips of Bryant’s most significant moments were highlighted. Towards the end of the performance, Lil Wayne sang in front of a background of lights that spelled out the name ‘Mamba”, which was a reference to Bryant’s nickname, the Black Mamba.
Alicia Keys- “Perfect Way To Die”
Alicia Keys gave a heart-wrenching performance of “Perfect Way To Die,” a song that depicts a story told through the eyes of a mother whose child has been gunned down by police officers. The song also referred to Sandra Bland, who also lost her life. Throughout the performance, murals of George Floyd, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, and Sandra Bland were shown on the side of a building. Towards the end of the performance, Alicia Keys takes a knee. Then the camera slowly zooms back to display the names of the many Black men, women, and children, who were killed as a result of racism and police brutality, sketched in chalk on the ground. This performance brought tears to my eyes.
Chloe X Halle- “Forgive Me” & “Do It”
Chloe X Halle started their performance with angelic harmonies for the song ‘Forgive Me” For the next song, “Do It’ they added some self-choreographed dance moves.
Summer Walker & Usher “Session 32” & “Come Thru”
The performance started with Summer Walker playing the guitar while singing “Session 32” She also sang “Come Thru” before being joined by Usher. They did a fantastic job and gave us a little 90’s R&B vibe.
Johnathan McReynolds & Kane Brown “People” and “Worldwide Beautiful”
Jonathan McReynolds and Kane Brown delivered an inspirational performance. It started with John McReynolds playing the guitar to accompany his soulful voice for “People.” Next, Kane Brown performed “Worldwide Beautiful” and gave us a nice country vibe to his song. His set looked as if he was in front of a live audience. Both did a great job.
Kierra Clark &Karen Clark Sheard-“Something Has to Break”
For the final performance, we were taken to church courtesy of Kierra Clark and Karen Clark Sheard. The mother-daughter duo soulfully and powerfully sang Kierra’s song “Something Has To Break,” she asks God for comfort during tough times. Their vocals were stunning, and I loved the back and forth singing to one another. This was a great way to close the show.
Special Moments
Shine A Light Award
BET and Proctor and Gamble commemorated Nicholas Johnson for becoming Princeton’s first Black valedictorian. In addition, D-Nice was honored for healing the world with Club Quarantine, where he tirelessly played music in his living room via Instagram Live. Swizz Beats and Timbaland were also saluted with keeping the world entertained through Versuz, where every week, two musical icons would go head to head to compare and celebrate musical catalogs.
Donnie Simpson Honors Bob Johnson for BET’s 40th Anniversary
Donnie Simpson paid tribute to Bob Johnson, the co-founder of BET. He took us a walk down memory lane highlighting shows such as Video Soul (which he hosted), 106 & Park, and Comicview. Celebrities such as Lizzo and Lena Waithe also saluted the network and spoke of its significance.
The segment ended with Bob Johnson as he talked about the legacy of BET. He showed gratitude for the support the network has received for 40 years. He also discussed his reason for the creation of BET and how it played a significant part in Black culture.
Black Lives Matter
In a clip from the documentary film “The Price of The Ticket,” James Baldwin powerfully stated, “I was born here 60 years ago. I’m not going to live another 60 years. You always told me it takes time. It has taken my father’s time, my mother’s time, my uncle’s time, my brother’s time, and my sister’s time, my niece’s, and my nephew’s time. How much time do you want for your progress?”
Omari Hardwick, Viola Davis Sterling K. Brown, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, and many others paid homage to the members of the Black community who were murdered as a result of racism and police brutality. It ended with Patrisse Cullors emphatically stating, “It ends now. We will not lose” as if to answer Baldwin’s question.
Michelle Obama Presents Beyonce With the BET Humanitarian Award
Beyonce received the BET Humanitarian Award from Michelle Obama. The Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave a speech, praising her for all of her charity work and contributions. “You can see it in everything she does, from her music that gives voice to Black joy and Black pain to her activism that demands justice for Black lives,” she stated. Michelle Obama also commended her for taking a stand against racism and sexism.
Tina Knowles, Tyler Perry, Sybrina Fulton, scholarship recipients, pastors, and many others also shared their appreciation of her humanitarianism. Beyonce was being honored for her work through the BeyGOOD Foundation, in which she provided relief to her hometown of Houston, Texas, after it was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. More recently, she supplied free testing for the Coronavirus and mental health services to underprivileged families in Houston and donated 6 million dollars for COVID-19 relief.
After graciously accepting the award, Beyonce gave a powerful speech. She stressed the importance of voting for the presidential election this November. “I want to dedicate this award to all my brothers out there, all of my sisters out there inspiring, marching, and fighting for change. Your voices are heard, and you’re proving that your ancestors’ struggles are not in vain,” said Beyonce during her lecture. “I’m encouraging you to dismantle a racist and unequal system…….We have to vote like our life depends on it, because it does. So please continue to be the change you want to see.”
Following her address, Beyonce’ treated us to a trailer of her upcoming visual album, Black Is King, which is scheduled to debut July 31 on Disney +.
List of Nominees and Winners:
Here is a complete list of nominees of the 2020 BET Awards (the winners are highlighted in bold).
Album of the Year
-
- Cuz I Love You, Lizzo
- Fever, Megan Thee Stallion
- Homecoming: The Live Album, Beyonce’
- I Used To Know Her, H.E.R.
- Kirk, DaBaby
- Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial, Roddy Ricch-WINNER
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
-
- Beyonce’
- H.E.R.
- Jhene Aiko
- Kehlani
- Lizzo-WINNER
- Summer Walker
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
-
- Anderson .Paak
- Chris Brown-WINNER
- Jaquees
- Khalid
- The Weeknd
- Usher
- Khalid
Best Group
-
- Chloe X Halle
- City Girls
- EarthGang
- Griselda
- JackBoys
- Migos-WINNER
Best Collaboration
- Chris Brown Featuring Drake, “No Guidance”-WINNER
- DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend, “Higher”
- Future Featuring Drake, “Life Is Good”
- H.E.R Featuring YG, “Slide”
- Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign, “Hot Girl Summer”
- Wale Featuring Jeremih, “On Chill”
Viewer’s Choice Award
-
- Chris Brown Featuring Drake, “No Guidance
- DaBaby, “Bop’
- Future Featuring Drake “Life Is Good”
- Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign, “Hot Girl Summer”-WINNER
- Roddy Ricch, ‘The Box”
- The Weeknd, “Heartless”
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
- DaBaby-WINNER
- Drake
- Future
- Lil Baby
- Roddy Ricch
- Travis Scott
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
-
- Cardi B
- Doja Cat
- Lizzo
- Megan Thee Stallion-WINNER
- Nicki Minaj
- Saweetie
Video of the Year
-
- Chris Brown Featuring Drake, “No Guidance”
- DaBaby, “Bop”
- DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend, “Higher”-WINNER-WINNER
- Doja Cat, “Say So”
- Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Nicki Minaj & Ty Dolla $ign, “Hot Girl Summer’
- Roddy Ricch’ The Box’
Video Director of the Year
-
- Benny Boom
- Cole Bennet
- Dave Meyers
- Director X
- Eif Rivera
- Teyana “Spike Tee” Taylor-WINNER
Best New Artist
-
- Danileigh
- Lil Nas X
- Pop Smoke
- Roddy Ricch-WINNER
- Summer Walker
- YBN Cordae
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
-
- Fred Hammond, “Alright”
- John P. Kee Featuring Zacardi Cortez “I Made It Out”
- Kanye West “Follow God’
- Kirk Franklin, “Just For Me”-WINNER
- PJ Morton Featuring Le’Andria Johnson & Mary Mary, “All In His Flaw Plan”
- The Clark Sisters “Victory”
Best International Act
- Burna Boy (Nigeria)-WINNER
- Dave(UK)
- Innoss’B (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Ninho (France)
- S. Pri Noir (France)
- Sho Madjozi (South Africa)
- Stormzy (UK)
Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act
-
- Celeste (UK)
- Hatik (France)
- Rema (Nigeria)
- Stacy (France)
- Sha Sha (Zimbabwe)-WINNER
- Young T Bugsey (UK)
Best Actress
-
- Angela Bassett
- Cynthia Erivo
- Issa Rae-WINNER
- Regina King
- Tracee Ellis Ross
- Zendaya
Best Actor
-
- Billy porter
- Eddie Murphy
- Forest Whitaker
- Jamie Foxx
- Anthony Anderson
- Michael B. Jordan-WINNER
- Omari Hardwick
Young Stars Award
-
- Alex Hibbert
- Asante Blackk
- Jahi Di’allo Winston
- Marsai Martin-WINNER
- Miles Brown
- Storm Reid
Best Movie
- Bad Boys for Life
- Dolemite Is my Name
- Harriet
- Homecoming: A Film By Beyonce’
- Just Mercy
- Queen & Slim-WINNER
Sportswoman of the Year Award
- Ajee Wilson
- Claressa Shields
- Coco Gauff
- Naomi Osaka
- Serena Williams
- Simone Biles-WINNER
Sportsman of the Year Award
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Kawhi Leonard
- Lebron James-WINNER
- Odell Bekham Jr.
- Patrick Mahomes II
- Stephen Curry
BET HER Award
- Alicia Keys, “Underdog”
- Beyonce’ Featuring Blue Ivy Carter, Wizkid & Saint Jhn, “Brown Skin Girl”-WINNER
- Ciara Featuring Lupita Nyong’ o, Ester Dean, City Girls & La La, “Melanin”
- Layton Greene “I Chose”
- Lizzo Featuring Missy Elliott, “Tempo”
- Rhapsody Featuring PJ Morton, “Afeni”
Special Awards/Honorees
The honorees who won special awards at the show are as follows:
Humanitarian Award
Beyonce’
Global Good Award
Assa Traore
Shine A Light Award
Nicholas Johnson, D.J. D-Nice, Swizz Beats & Timbaland
Did you watch the 2020 BET Awards Show? If so, what were your favorite moments? I would love to hear about them in the comments.
Thank you for reading.
Yours Truly,
Tracy
Comments are closed.