Childish Gambino, Latto and more pay tribute to Usher with special performances at the 2024 BET Awards.
Beginning with a childish croon of Ursh’s 2001 hit “U Don’t Have To Call,” Keke Palmer, Summer Walker, Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Tinashe, Chlöe Bailey, Teyana Taylor and Victoria Monét later joined in with some of his Hits included “Superstar,” “There Goes My Baby” and “Nice & Slow,” before Lato closed the party by rapping Ludacris’ “Yeah!”
The 45-year-old looked out at the packed audience with a huge smile on his face. The tribute was part of a big night for the Atlanta native, as he also received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual gathering. In addition, he also won the trophy for Best Male R&B/Pop Vocal Performance.
Check out the tribute and Usher’s acceptance speech below:
Usher also won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Cultural Voices Award over the weekend.
The award is given to ASCAP members who have “significantly impacted music and culture” in recognition of their “success as creators and change-makers,” according to a press release.
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The singer received the award at a party in Los Angeles last month as part of a celebration honoring top R&B and soul musicians.
It adds to Usher’s huge success this year, which saw him headline the Super Bowl, wrap up a 100-show residency in Las Vegas and release his ninth studio album.
His Super Bowl halftime show quickly became the most-watched television show of all time, drawing 123.4 million viewers, according to Billboard.
It topped Dr. Dre’s star-studded 2022 show, which featured appearances from Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent, as well as Rihanna’s 2023 show during which she revealed she was pregnant with her second child.
Usher also won two awards – Entertainer of the Year and the President’s Award – at the NAACP Image Awards in March, where he took the opportunity to thank the women in his life who support his dreams.
“They say that behind, beside or next to every strong man is an even stronger woman, and for that I thank my mother and my beautiful wife Jennifer for keeping me calm,” he said at the ceremony said above.
