10 Best Moments From The 2018 BET Awards
On Sunday (June 25) we all gathered, like we normally do this time a year, to sit in front of our televisions and watch the BET Awards. Hosted by singer-songwriter and Academy-Award winner Jamie Foxx, this 2018 ceremony provided the LOLs we’ve come to expect and shined a light on the luminaries within black entertainment.
There were several memorable performances and too many great moments to keep track of, so narrowing down the best ones were difficult. Whether it be the sangin’ a tribute to Anita Baker, or Jason Mitchell reminding white people what 911 is really for, the 2018 BET Awards went down in history as one of the best in the network’s existence.
Check out the 10 best moments from this year’s ceremony.
1. Michael B. Jordan recites his powerful last line as Eric Kilmonger in Black Panther.
Credit: Courtesy of Marvel
Jamie Foxx opened the 2018 BET Awards with a spot-on Wakanda accent. Why? Because Black Panther love and admiration is never-ending. However, the magic happened when Creed II star Michael B. Jordan was asked to walk on stage to recite Eric Kilmonger’s powerful final line: “Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.”
2. J.Cole Enlists Daniel Caesar To Perform “Friends.”
Listen closely or you might miss the message in @JColeNC's #BETAwards performance of 'Friends' with @DanielCaesar and @Wale! pic.twitter.com/NPmc0RFPxv
— #BETAwards (@BETAwards) June 25, 2018
3. Jamie Foxx pays homage to Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.”
While Donald Glover sat front row in his pajamas, Foxx admitted to the audience he was asked to make a joke about Glover’s politically charged “This Is America” video. Denying the request, Foxx instead corralled attendees to stand to their feet and applaud the Atlanta creator and star for his work. While Glover was noticeably nervous, Foxx brought Glover on stage where he sang a verse from the record and offered a smooth shimmy in the process.
4. “911 is for emergencies, not your insecurities.” Actor Jason Mitchell
Jason Mitchell and Jacob Latimore were on hand to present the award for best group. But before the stars from Lena Waithe’s hit Showtime series The Chi announced the nominees, they took time out to speak on the recent trend of white people calling authorities on black people for doing things that weren’t illegal. While Latimore offered up solutions for what white people can do instead, Jason Mitchell put it simply “911 is for emergencies, not your insecurities.”
#MicDrop
#MicDrop
5. H.E.R’s Performance with Daniel Caesar.
R&B is alive and well and if anyone had any doubt of it, H.E.R’s sultry yet powerful performance proved it. Taking to the stage to serenade the crowd with her hit “Focus”, she then brought out Daniel Caesar to make us feel all the feels with their song “Best Part.” For those of you not sure if R&B is the last of a dying musical breed, H.E.R proved that rhythm and blues is doing just fine and isn’t going anywhere.
6. James Shaw Jr, Shaun King, Naomi Wadler and more honored for their humanitarian efforts.
Deeply honored tonight to have received @BET’s first ever Humanitarian Hero Award alongside some truly amazing people.
Meeting Mamadou, who scaled that building in Paris to save the baby, was a real highlight for me.
Thank you all for the love. pic.twitter.com/DUFoSJH7K0
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) June 25, 2018
7. Ella Mai performs her smash hit “Boo’d Up”
Credit: Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Just stop for a second and go watch it.
8. The Anita Baker Tribute.
It was a sangin’ tribute when it came time to honor Anita Baker for her 30-year music career. Jamie Foxx went from making the audience LOL to reminding us he can sing and play the piano when he began to serenade Baker with a few of her song. Joining Foxx was Marsha Ambrosius, Ledisi and Yolanda Adams who all undoubtedly sang us to an 800 credit score.
9. Meek Mill’s “Stay Woke” performance with Miguel.
Meek Mill is still the same passionate rapper but is now using his platform differently. In one of the night’s most powerful performances, The Dreams Worth More Than Money rapper shed a light on police brutality. He also honored the victims of senseless violence including 15-year-old Lesandro (Junior) Guzman-Feliz who was brutally stabbed in The Bronx, rappers Jimmy Wopo and XXXTentacion, who he work on the front of his hoodie.
Credit: Johnny Nunez/VMN18/Getty Images for BET
10. Jamie Foxx speaks on XXXTentacion’s death.
Before introducing the final performance of the night, Jamie Foxx spoke about the death of 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion who was robbed, shot and killed on June 18. Foxx kept his speech short, afraid he’d sound like the old guy in the room, but touched on the senseless murders that robbed hip-hop of Biggie and Tupac and pleaded for a solution.
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