So here we have it, another BET Awards ceremony in the books. Yet, there seemed something special about this year.
With the social and political unrest of Ferguson and Baltimore; with the murders of unarmed, and often times entirely innocent, black men and women; following the attempted censorship of Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar; following the continued threats, attacks and hamstringing of the U.S. President Barack Obama; and add all of that to the fact that this year we lost two icons of Black American creativity and activism: Prince, and later, the Greatest of All Time, Muhammad Ali, and this year’s BET awards promised to be something special.
Because everyone doesn’t get a chance to see the actual awards live, we know that Monday morning is when the majority of you late-asses scour the Internet for videos.
Well, we got you.
Unfortunately, because B.E.T. won’t allow me to embed videos, I have to link you to their site. So check it out, in full-screen mode:
Beyonce’s show opener, feature Kendrick Lamar, “Freedom”
Erykah Bada & Bilal’s Prince Tribute
Alicia Keys performs “In Common”
Stevie wonder, Tori Kelly and Jennifer Hudson’s Prince Tribute
Jesse Williams receives the Humanitarian Award, drop knowledge and ALL OF THE MICS
Ordinary Brown 