25 Unforgettable BET Awards Performances
It’s a night where careers are made, music icons are giving their flowers and every live performance — be it good, bad or indifferent! — will simply leave you speechless. We’re talking about the annual BET Awards, a staple in Black culture for the past 25 years and the scene for some of the biggest nights in entertainment history.
The 2026 ceremony is looking to be no different, and might even be the funniest one in a very long time thanks to viral comedian Druski standing in as host this year.
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The 2026 show, airing live this Sunday (June 28) from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, will see the stars of 2025 battling it out for top accolades. Rap favorite Cardi B leads the nominations with six, followed by fellow emcee Kendrick Lamar and singer Mariah The Scientist with five each. There will also be four new categories, two of which are non-competitive, with Teyana Taylor receiving the inaugural “Icon of the Year” and Ms. Lauryn Hill being bestowed with the “Living Legend Icon Award.”
The list of performers is even more enticing, with Cardi B, Common, Doechii, Don Toliver, Jill Scott, Kehlani, Kwn, French Montana with Max B, The War and Treaty, Queen Latifah, Rick Ross, Tems and T.I. all scheduled to hit the stage. In addition to those big names, a new roster of performers was just announced today, including Ari Lennox, Alexia Jayy, Baby Keem, BJ The Chicago Kid, Durand Bernarr, our very own Erica Campbell, George Clinton, Kenny Iko, Le’Andria Johnson, Nas, Rapsody, and RAYE.
We can’t wait to see each of those live sets, and it even got us thinking back on some of the best performances in BET Awards history. Who could forget the inaugural show back in 2001 when the late Whitney Houston gave us quotables that we still recite to this day? The BeyHive will always remember fondly when Beyoncé came alive as a solo artist during her iconic performance in 2003, similar to the way Team Breezy feels about the 2010 ceremony when Chris Brown won back a few hearts with his touching tribute to the late King Of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Keep scrolling as we reminisce on 25 unforgettable performances in BET Awards history, and let us know if you spot your fave or, you know, if we missed a spot or two:
2001: Whitney Houston – “I Have Nothing” + “I Will Always Love You” (Lifetime Achievement Award Performance)
25 Unforgettable BET Awards Performances was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
