Here are the Top Five Moments From the 2024 BET Awards

2. Lauryn Hill and YG Marley Perform, Lauryn Reunites With Wyclef

Make all the “Lauryn’s always late” jokes you want — she remains one of the most potent two-way talents the music world’s ever seen. And she reaffirmed that status while performing alongside her son YG Marley. Things jumped to a new level once Wyclef Jean pulled up to perform “Fu-Gee-La,” as Hill flaunted a rapper’s breath control and the supercharged vocals of a generational singer.

3.  Victoria Monét Bodies the Stage

After spending years somewhat behind the scenes as a talented songwriter, Victoria Monét had her proverbial breakthrough moment with her debut album, Jaguar II, a soulful effort that dropped last year. She’s been on an extended victory lap ever since, and she continued it by performing “On My Mama” and “Alright” with a rare mix of precise choreography and some vocals that once again carried over well to the stage. Throw this in with her Usher tribute, and it’s clear why Victoria is victorious.

4.  Shaboozey Gives Us The Best Kind of Nostalgia

Shaboozey has been on an epic run the last few months, and his J-Kwon-interpolating single, “Bar Song (Tipsy)” is a big reason why. For his BET Awards performance, he brought out all the trimmings of a classic country performance, with folks playing violin and square-dancing to everyone’s favorite song on the jukebox. That was all pretty fire as it was, but from there, he brought out J-Kwon and they delivered a joint mash-up for “A Bar Song” and “Tipsy” in a flurry of nostalgia that felt too good to be true.

5.  Killer Mike Uses His Victory Speech to Preach

After winning the album of the year trophy for Michael, Killer Mike served up a fiery speech referencing his 2024 Grammy Awards arrest before urging folks to vote for their local politicians.

“They’re gonna tell you who we vote for is important and it is,” he said “Who we vote for on the big stage is important, but it’s more important that you know who your city council person is, who your prosecutor is, and if you don’t like the people who are running, run your Black ass to the polls and run yourself.” Word up. Watch the speech below.

Honorable Mentions:

Taraji P. Henson’s Rendition of “Not Like Us”

Look, it’s clear people are going to run “Not Like Us” into the ground (see the well-intentioned, but extremely cringe Kamala Harris clip with Taraji for evidence), but Taraji served up a remix that was just right. Here, she rocks a Kendrick Lamar-inspired fit while perfectly mimicking Kendrick’s vocal inflections.

GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion Tear Down the Stage for “Wanna Be”

GloRilla continued her 2024 resurgence by performing “Yeah Glo” at the BET Awards, and she worked the stage with the presence of a veteran. Then Megan Thee Stallion pulled up, too. After she served up her own electric BET Awards performance, Meg took the stage again with GloRilla to perform “Wanna Be,” and it was a moment that felt like a microcosm for their dominance in 2024.