LOS ANGELES: A politically charged BET Awards delivered an exciting night of tributes for Prince and Muhammad Ali between calls for action over gun violence, civil rights and presidential politics.
After BET dissed the Billboard Music Awards for their Prince tribute in May, the cable network lived up to that challenge by honoring Price in a show-long tribute.
The first of many performances was introduced by comedian Dave Chapelle, who said “that literally our hearts were broken” over the death of Prince on April 21.
Artists such as the Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Maxwell, Stevie Wonder and more gave a multifaceted reflection on the late artist’s musical gifts.
There was no subtlety to the political messages during this year’s award show with multiple references to the upcoming presidential election — none of them in favor of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
There was a very direct warning from Taraji P. Henson, who won the best actress award.
“For those who think, you know, ‘He’s really not going to win’ — think again,” Henson said during her acceptance speech. “We really need to pull together and turn this country around.”
When Beyonce’s dancers paraded down the BET Awards red carpet prior to the show, the rumors of an unannounced performance solidified.
A barefoot Beyonce in a fringed black outfit opened the awards show with her song “Freedom” in ankle deep water with dancers splashing around beside her, in a preview of her popular Formation World Tour.
The BET Awards also paid tribute to another cultural icon — the late Muhammad Ali — with a heartfelt speech by his daughter, Laila Ali.
Known as the “Greatest of All Time,” Ali had a huge influence on hip-hop artists either through his pre-fight speeches or through his personal struggles and spiritual convictions. He died on June 3 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
His daughter, also a retired boxer, got choked up as she stood in front of photo of her father holding her as an infant.
After BET dissed the Billboard Music Awards for their Prince tribute in May, the cable network lived up to that challenge by honoring Price in a show-long tribute.
The first of many performances was introduced by comedian Dave Chapelle, who said “that literally our hearts were broken” over the death of Prince on April 21.
Artists such as the Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Maxwell, Stevie Wonder and more gave a multifaceted reflection on the late artist’s musical gifts.
There was no subtlety to the political messages during this year’s award show with multiple references to the upcoming presidential election — none of them in favor of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.
There was a very direct warning from Taraji P. Henson, who won the best actress award.
“For those who think, you know, ‘He’s really not going to win’ — think again,” Henson said during her acceptance speech. “We really need to pull together and turn this country around.”
When Beyonce’s dancers paraded down the BET Awards red carpet prior to the show, the rumors of an unannounced performance solidified.
A barefoot Beyonce in a fringed black outfit opened the awards show with her song “Freedom” in ankle deep water with dancers splashing around beside her, in a preview of her popular Formation World Tour.
The BET Awards also paid tribute to another cultural icon — the late Muhammad Ali — with a heartfelt speech by his daughter, Laila Ali.
Known as the “Greatest of All Time,” Ali had a huge influence on hip-hop artists either through his pre-fight speeches or through his personal struggles and spiritual convictions. He died on June 3 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
His daughter, also a retired boxer, got choked up as she stood in front of photo of her father holding her as an infant.
