The #BETAwards went off this year! Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar blessed the stage with an electrifying performance of ‘Freedom’ and R&B singer Bilal gave us Purple Rain teas as he performed The Beautiful Ones during stage 1 of the Prince tribute.
Both acts will definitely go down as some of BET’s most memorable performances, but over the years, there have been so many epic performances from legendary entertainers and we wanted to take you on a trip down memory lane! Which of these are some of your favorite #BETAwards performances?
11.) Beyoncé & Jay Z x Déjà Vu
Beyoncé – BET Awards 2006 Déjâ vu Live by thebeyhivefrance
This is when we met Sasha Fierce for the first time… Beyonce was on fire!!
10.) Alicia Keys x Girl Group Melody
SWV, En Vogue and TLC joined Alicia keys for a good ‘ole trip down memory lane and performed some of their greatest hits for the BET Awards!
9.) Kanye x Jesus Walks
Jesus Walks is one of Kanye’s best songs and he brought out gospel legend, Yolanda Adams to help him sing about Jesus! “I miss the old Kanye!”
8.) Rick James & Teena Marie perform Fire & Desire for the final time
Rick James James and his Ivory Queen of Soul reunited for a special performance of their hit, Fire & Desire. After they presented the award for Best Female R&B Artist, Rick James let us know who he was by saying, “I’m Rick James, b****!” phrase which was coined by comedian, Dave Chappelle. RIP to these legends!
7.) Chris Brown MJ Tribute
CHRIS BROWN MJ TRIBUTE BET 2010 from Joel Arzu on Vimeo.
Chris did an amazing job with his Michael Jackson tribute and was even moved to tears after hearing so many people rooting for him. This performance came just two years after the Rihanna scandal and the singer was trying so desperately to win the hearts of fans all of over the world and it definitely helped!
6.) Chaka Khan Tribute w/ Stevie Wonder, Prince & Yolanda Adams
Chaka and Prince held an amazing friendship over the years and it’s crazy that this year Prince will be honored posthumously. RIP to the Purple One!
5.) Jennifer Hudson & Jennifer Holliday x And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going Duet
The Dreamgirls remake had just come out and this performance was vindication for Holliday! She tore this song up and Hudson was amazing as well!
4.) Destiny’s Child classy “lap dance”
DESTINY'S CHILD cater 2 u (live) by sheraaze
This was just so epic. Do you guys think Jay-Z got a little jealous?
3.) The Fugees’ Reunited
No one thought this would EVER happen again. In fact, they said it wouldn’t, but BET came all the way through!
2.) Whitney Houston x I Have Nothing/I Will Always Love You
Cissy Houston and Bobby Kristina presented her with her award at the end of her slayage. We will always love you Whitney!
1.) The legendary Michael Jackson & James Brown Slay!!
When Michael Jackson presented Brown with the Lifetime Achievement Award, there was not one booty in a chair throughout the entire venue! When Brown made him dance, Michael got all of his life and everyone in the audience was crying tears of joy! This still makes me cry! RIP to both legends!!
Which artists from tonight’s show do you guys think should have a place in this list next year? Tell us in the comments!!
TSR STAFF: Talia O. @theclosetratchet on Instagram & @tallyohhh on Twitter!
