The BET Awards 2024 aired on Sunday, June 30, shining the spotlight on some of the most acclaimed Black artists of the year, as well as highlighting legendary figures in music who have had a major impact on Black pop culture.
This year’s BET Awards were heavily influenced by the historic Writers’ Strike of 2023, which is said to have affected last year’s ceremony as well. Actress and presenter Taraji P. Henson, a supporter of the strike, skipped last year’s ceremony in solidarity, raising hopes for her return this year.
Winners include Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Regina King and Nicki Minaj. This year, Usher was nominated and given the Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades-long career and cultural influence. But no awards show would be complete without an unofficial viewer-chosen category, which is sure to get social media buzz. A meme-worthy moment.
Here are five of the most meme-worthy moments from the BET Awards that have been trending on the internet.
1. Usher’s Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech
Usher delivered an eight-minute speech, but viewers at home couldn’t hear much of it because it was censored. Some BET Awards attendees recorded Usher’s speech and uploaded it to X, but some users expressed disappointment that large portions of it were cut from the official broadcast.
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2. Will Smith’s performance
Will Smith performed his new song “You Can Make It” featuring Kirk Franklin and the Sunday Choir. Surrounded by a ring of fire, Smith’s performance was quite literally fiery. This isn’t the first time Smith has performed at an awards show recently. Late last year, Smith and longtime friend DJ Jazzy Jeff performed together at the Grammy Awards to celebrate 50 years of hip hop.
3. Taraji P. Henson’s parody of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”
Taraji P. Henson’s opening performance “It’s About Us” was a light-hearted but lyric-heavy parody of a Kendrick Lamar diss track, and in true Henson style, she “popped out,” gold grills and all, setting the tone for the night.
4. Usher Tribute (16 minutes in total!)
The female-led tribute featured a slew of up-and-coming artists and OGs who’ve already made a name for themselves with their own spins on some of Usher’s most notable songs. Artists who graced the stage included Childish Gambino, KeKe Palmer, Summer Walker, Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Chloe, Tinashe, Teyana Taylor, Victoria Monet and Ratt.
Donald Glover’s comments on refusing to accept awards
One thing is for sure, two things are for sure: Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, will say exactly what he thinks and make you laugh.
