Usher will be honored at the 2024 BET Awards, Will Smith will present his first song, the election will be a hot topic

Usher accepted the lifetime achievement award at the 2024 BET Awards – even though the superstar was thinking about it might be a bit early.

The Grammy winner stayed on his feet as a parade of artists performed their hits – Childish Gambino kicked things off with “U Don’t Have to Call,” followed by Keke Palmer, who took the lead on “You Make Me Wanna…” Coco Jones appeared in the audience for a sultry performance of “There Goes My Baby” and serenaded Usher and his wife Jenn Goicoechea.

Summer Walker took the stage for “Good Good,” Tinashe sang “Nice & Slow,” Marsha Ambrosius took on “Superstar,” and Chlöe sang “Good Kisser.” Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monét teamed up for “Bad Girl,” mimicking Usher and Beyoncé’s choreography from their performance of the song. Latto provided the energy needed for “Yeah!” In a way, the tribute highlighted the women who carried most of the evening—they dominated the performances.

After being introduced by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam, Usher accepted the award from music manager LA Reid.

“Getting here definitely wasn’t easy, but it was worth it,” Usher began his lengthy speech, looking back on his career that has spanned three decades. He questioned the timing, saying, “I’m still on the right track and I still love the (expletive) like I did when I was 8 years old,” he said.

Large parts of his speech could not be heard by the audience at home because they were censored.

“I forgive every single person who has had something negative to say about me, because it only motivated me to be who I am,” he once said.

Earlier that evening, Will Smith had stood in a fire circle – together with Fridayy and the gospel choir Sunday Service – to present his latest single “You Can Make It” live.

“I don’t know who needs this right now,” Smith opened his set. “But I’m here to tell you, you can do it.”

Halfway through, Kirk Franklin joined in and the two rapped together. “Nobody has it easy,” said Smith, who is currently making his comeback from Chris Rock beaten at the Oscars two years agoit told the room. “There is wisdom in this fire. Dance in your darkest moments.”

The upcoming presidential election was a major topic of conversation throughout the show. After Childish Gambino presented Killer Mike with the Album of the Year award for “Michael,” the rapper used his acceptance speech to talk about his arrest and voting at the Grammys.

“I shouldn’t have been here. I was handcuffed and escorted out of the building. But I want to tell you: Look to God. Because I’m back, baby. I’m back and I’m winning,” he said in his speech. Killer Mike was arrested at the Grammys earlier this year for a physical altercation that he said was caused by an “overzealous” security guard; he was not charged in the incident.

“They’ll tell you it matters who we vote for,” he continued in his speech. “And it matters who we vote for on the big stage. That’s important, but even more important is that you know who your city council is, who your district attorney is.”

Megan Thee Stallion opened the show by hatching from an egg – a metaphor for her new musical rebirth – before diving into an energetic medley of her new singles “Hiss” and “Boa.”

“BET, Where my girls at?” she shouted to Monét and Jones in the crowd before launching into “Where Them Girls At” – a song that has become an instant fan favorite since the release of her third studio album, “Megan,” on Friday.

Taraji P. Henson hosted the show at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Her opening monologue was a performance in which Henson rapped “It’s about us,” in a loose parody of Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which he released amid his reignited feud with Drake.

“No beef here tonight,” she joked. “Can we say plant-based?”

Tyla, the South African Amapiano superstar from Johannesburg, won two awards on the show, firstly as best international act.

Later that night, she took home the award for best new artist. “This is crazy,” she said. “I just want to dedicate this award to Africa.”

Monét, who won the Grammy for Best New Artist earlier this year, made her BET debut and set the bar high for her performances, compressing a full set with three costume changes and two songs, “On My Mama” and “Alright,” into a few minutes.

Sexyy Red then took the stage and performed her soft bedroom ballad “U My Everything” before moving to another stage and changing costumes – she ventured into “Get It Sexyy” in front of an LED screen depicting the White House and dancers dressed as Secret Service agents.

The show took a tone shift when VanVan and Heiress Harris, two child rappers, performed their empowerment anthem “Be You” in a schoolroom. Harris is the daughter of rapper TI and singer Tiny Harris.

The award for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist went to SZA and the award for Best Actress went to Regina King, both of whom were absent; the BET HER award went to Monét for “On My Mama,” who brought her mother to accept it.

Country music artist Tanner Adell performed her “Buckle Bunny” and new song “Cowboy Break My Heart.” GloRilla appeared from above and descended to join her dancers for “Yeah Glo!” and “Wanna Be”—the latter of which featured a surprise appearance by Megan Thee Stallion. Shaboozey continued the country with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and was joined by rapper J-Kwon, who is featured on the track, creating an unexpected and rewarding cross-genre collaboration.

Lauryn Hill closed the night with “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” segued into “Lost Ones,” before introducing her son YG Marley with his reggae tracks “Survival” and “Praise Jah In The Moonlight.” Best of all, Wyclef Jean performed, and the trio performed – in front of a full band – “Fu-Gee-La” by Fugees. Pras, the third member of Fugees, was not in attendance. The rapper, who was accused of multimillion-dollar political conspiracies spanning two presidencies, was convicted in April.