{"id":900719,"date":"2026-06-29T12:02:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/900719\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T12:02:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T12:02:21","slug":"2026-bet-awards-the-5-biggest-moments-of-celebration-and-remembrance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/900719\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 BET Awards: The 5 biggest moments of celebration and remembrance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 2026 BET Awards brought music, comedy and community to the Peacock Theater on Sunday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cCulture\u2019s Biggest Night,\u201d as the ceremony bills itself, included performances from a long lineup of talent, including Cardi B, Kehlani and Don Toliver, plus rousing tributes to the late trailblazer D\u2019Angelo<\/a> and Living Legend Icon Award recipient Lauryn Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following an electrifying opening performance from T.I., the evening\u2019s host, comedian and internet sensation Druski, descended onto the stage suspended from the ceiling, a nod to his viral \u201cflying pastor\u201d sketch. The 31-year-old comic also celebrated making a little Black history of his own by becoming the youngest performer to ever host the awards.<\/p>\n

Family was a major theme of the night, with numerous stars spotlighting their talented progeny, as was the importance of soulful artistry.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack creativity is one of the most powerful forces in the world,\u201d said music executive Sylvia Rhone, who was honored with the ceremony\u2019s Ultimate Icon Award. \u201cWe make the algorithm. It doesn\u2019t make us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are five more memorable moments from the night.<\/p>\n

Cardi B got \u201cPretty and Petty\u201d \"Cardi <\/p>\n

Cardi B accepts the female hip hop artist award during the BET Awards 2026 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Paras Griffin \/ Getty Images for BET)<\/p>\n

Not only did Cardi B lead the pack with six total nominations, she took home the award for female hip hop artist and delivered one of the night\u2019s most anticipated performances. Duirng her performance, eagle-eyed viewers would know that last night\u2019s win marked her seventh BET award, since she brought out the other six for a picture-perfect moment during \u201cPretty and Petty.\u201d<\/p>\n

The song, a diss track aimed at fellow rapper BIA, includes the lyric \u201cDo she even got a BET award?\u201d After the show, Cardi B told fans on Instagram Live<\/a> not to bully the song\u2019s intended target, but said she would still continue to perform it because it\u2019s one of the \u201chottest songs\u201d from her 2025 album, \u201cAm I the Drama?\u201d<\/p>\n

Doechii and SZA represented creative sisterhood \"SZA, <\/p>\n

SZA, left, and Doechii at 2026 BET Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Kevin Winter \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After winning the Her Award for their collaboration, \u201cGirl, Get Up,\u201d Doechii and SZA accepted the award together, oozing mutual love and respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019all don\u2019t understand how hard me and SZA worked putting that record together,\u201d Doechii said in her speech. \u201cIt was at a time where, girl, I was going through it. But I\u2019m so glad that you pulled through for me, sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything for you, always,\u201d SZA responded.<\/p>\n

The two attempted to keep talking as they were played off by a saxophonist, which host Druski had warned about earlier in the evening.<\/p>\n

They later came back together onstage as part of the massive Lauryn Hill tribute, singing the Fugees\u2019 \u201cReady or Not.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a family affair \"Anelise <\/p>\n

Anelise Foxx and Jamie Foxx perform during the 2026 BET Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Kevin Winter \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Apparently unbothered by potential \u201cnepo baby\u201d accusations, stars including Jamie Foxx, T.I. and Lauryn Hill featured their children in their performances (or, in Hill\u2019s case, the tribute performance dedicated to her artistry).<\/p>\n

Foxx and his 17 year-old daughter, Anelise, performed the intro to Kehlani\u2019s song \u201cFolded,\u201d with the teen playing some seriously impressive guitar. T.I. performed his hits \u201cTop Back\u201d and \u201cLet \u2018Em Know\u201d sitting atop a car, with his son, King, in the driver\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n

Three of Hill\u2019s six children \u2014 Selah, YG and Zion \u2014 sang their mother\u2019s music in a moving tribute, and she shouted out her son John and daughter Sara in a speech.<\/p>\n

Artists paid touching tribute to those we\u2019ve lost \"Erica <\/p>\n

Erica Campbell performs during the BET Awards 2026 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Paras Griffin \/ Getty Images for BET)<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, we are tasked with acknowledging those we lost and how to fill the insurmountable void they\u2019ve left in our lives and in our hearts. I\u2019ve learned that even in grief, it is the indelible legacy they left behind that gets us through the toughest times,\u201d said gospel artist Erica Campbell before launching into a soulful rendition of \u201cI Love The Lord\u201d in honor of the songwriter Richard Smallwood and music executive Clive Davis, whose prot\u00e9g\u00e9 Whitney Houston popularized the song.<\/p>\n

The official In Memoriam was not the only space dedicated to honoring artists who recently passed. A bevy of performers paid homage to beloved R&B icon D\u2019Angelo, including his former band, The Vanguard, plus Ari Lennox, Raye, George Clinton, Durand Bernarr and BJ The Chicago Kid. D\u2019Angelo\u2019s children introduced the medley, which was set against a backdrop of floor to ceiling windows looking out on a starry sky.<\/p>\n

Lauryn Hill got her flowers in a big way \"Lauryn <\/p>\n

Lauryn Hill performs during the BET Awards 2026 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

(Paras Griffin \/ Getty Images for BET)<\/p>\n

By far, the greatest moment of the night was the star-studded tribute of Lauryn Hill\u2019s music career \u2014 though it\u2019s debatable whether the 15-minute medley, video tribute, speeches and surprise performances by the artist herself can be called a singular \u201cmoment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following an introduction by rap icon Ice Cube and a video contextualizing Hill\u2019s nomination for the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award (as if anyone in the audience doubted her influence), a knockout lineup took the stage. The War and Treaty started with 1993\u2019s \u201cJoyful, Joyful,\u201d before SZA and Doechii took over with \u201cReady or Not.\u201d Tems and Tierra Whack took on \u201cFu-Gee-La,\u201d while Nas and Doja Cat sang \u201cIf I Ruled the World.\u201d Lizzo and Rapsody led the crowd on \u201cDoo Wop (That Thing),\u201d and Common and Queen Latifah stuck the landing with \u201cLost Ones.\u201d Solo moments from Selah, YG and Zion to their mother\u2019s tearful pride rounded out the performance.<\/p>\n

As if that weren\u2019t enough, Hill surprised the audience by performing two of her own hits, \u201cEx-Factor\u201d and \u201cEverything Is Everything,\u201d much to the room\u2019s delight (it\u2019s not every day<\/a> you get the chance to watch Hill do her thing).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I made \u2018Miseducation,\u2019 I was inspired by you,\u201d she told the crowd in her speech. \u201cI was inspired by the beauty. I was inspired by our potential. I knew it was possible. I dreamed it, I saw it, and I had to manifest it through song.\u201d<\/p>\n

View all the winners at bet.com.<\/a><\/p>\n