Hola What’s Hot Fam,
The BET Awards 2024 featured hot shots, hot performances and hot topics.
Taraji P. Henson hosted the live event, which annually celebrates artistic achievements in Black culture, on Sunday, June 30. The night highlighted the legacy of renowned singer Usher, gave light to trailblazing women and reminded viewers of the importance of voting in the upcoming election.
In chronological order, here are a few of my favorite moments from the show:
1. Yeah, GloRilla!
Rapper GloRilla landed on the BET Awards 2024 stage via parachute.
“I signed my deal up on a PJ and hopped out a parachute,” she rapped Yeah, Glo! amid an alley-themed set. Dancers in daisy dukes and varying white tops joined her in delivering energetic choreography before she transitioned into her latest hit TGIF. A snippet of the song quickly went viral on TikTok ahead of its release. Following its release, music and business mogul Rihanna shared a video of her singing the song to her boyfriend ASAP Rocky, which also went viral.
The FNF rapper ended her set by bringing out Megan Thee Stallion, who kicked off the awards show with her own performance. The two flowed and twerked to their single Wanna Be. The rising star definitely has the bars to get a crowd lit.
2. Childish Gambino Gets Something Off His Chest
It wouldn’t be an awards show these days, if a celebrity doesn’t use it as an opportunity to call someone out. In this case, Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover had a few choice words for the hosting network, BET, before presenting the award for Album of the Year.
“I just feel like I should have more BET Awards,” he stated before comparing his number of BET awards to caucasian singer Sam Smith. “How much more entertaining do I have to do?” He also noted that he had more Grammys than veteran actor and part-time rapper Will Smith.
He ended his message by telling the network to let him know if he needed to do a Baby Boy film, which the network is known for frequently televising, for more awards. We’ll see if his call out pays off in the future, as it did earn a reaction from Will Smith, who also performed at the event.
3. Shaboozey Gets Tipsy with J-Kwon
Country star Shaboozey made his BET Awards debut performing his latest single, A Bar Song (Tipsy). True to the title of the song, he sang amid a country-style bar set. The star’s recent mainstream acknowledgements follow his features on Beyoncé’s 2024 album Cowboy Carter.
In honor of the track and artist he sampled, Shaboozey brought out Tipsy rapper J-Kwon, which quickly earned excitement from the crowd. The two came together for a mashup to remember.
4. Usher Receives Lifetime Achievement Award and Star-Studded Tribute
As recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Usher received a musical tribute from Donald Glover and a plethora of female artists. To kickoff the musical mashup, Glover sang a slowed version of You Don’t Have to Call. Seconds into the ballad, Keke Palmer joined him to turn up the heat. In a sparkling bralette and an A-town cap, the actress tapped into her vocal and dancing talents to honor the RnB legend with a solo performance of You Make Me Wanna.
A clip of Usher serenading Palmer during one of his Las Vegas residency shows went viral in 2023, making this a full-circle moment.
CoCo Jones also made headlines with a seductive rendition of There Goes My Baby. An intense gaze at rapper NLE Choppa earned her a slick smirk and repost from him. She also flirtatiously sang to Usher’s wife before taking the man himself by the hand and bringing him to his feet.
Another standout moment from the tribute was Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monét’s reenactment of Usher and Beyonce’s famous 2004 Bad Girl performance. Taylor noted that she and Monét put the performance together within 48 hours. Beyoncé garnered a lot of excitement from the duo by reposting the 2024 performance on her Instagram story.
“& DATS ON QUEEN BEYYYYYYYYYYYY,” Taylor wrote. “I’m GAGGGGINGGGGGGG!!!!”
Monét wrote: “OOOOHMYYYY GOD!!!!! na I AM SCREAMING…WHATTTT!! CAN NOT GRASP AIR I AM UNWELL…I did not expect to pass out today! GAGGED completely…@beyonce WE LOVE YOU!!!!!! THE ORIGINAL BAD GYAL I will forever honor you”
Marsha Ambrosius, Latto, Tinashe, Chloe Bailey and Summer Walker also took to the stage to honor Usher.
5. Lauryn Hill Takes Us Back
In an iconic moment, Lauryn Hill sung Lost Ones before welcoming her son YG Marley to the stage for Praise Jah In The Moonlight. Three background singers and a live band elevated the performance that ended with a special surprise from Wyclef Jean.
The set definitely left the crowd singing “Oooh La La La.”
What was your favorite moment from the show? Comment below.