The 2021 BET Awards understood the assignment. With tribute performances to DMX and Queen Latifah, and the surprise announcement from Cardi B, the biggest celebration of Black music and entertainment was everything and much more.
In case you missed the full play-by-play provided by Black Twitter, here's the highlight of our favorite moments from culture's biggest night.
Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby opened the show with their single, "We Win"
Where "church house meets traphouse."
Taraji gave Black women their literal flowers
Taraji P. Henson gave Black women their literal flowers and intentionally decided to have them sit front and center— specifically shouting out Issa Rae, Jazmine Sullivan, Zendaya and Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Henson also changed her outfits several times, paying homage to some of her favorite Black women.
The collective swooning over Method Man
Not sure if this was pre-planned, but we'd like to thank Taraji for her service on behalf of Black women everywhere.
Cardi B announced her second pregancy
In the spirit of Beyoncé's 2011 MTV VMA performance, Cardi joined her husband, Offset & the rest of the Migos for a special performance of "Type S***" and broke the internet with a baby bump.
Lil Nas X shook the room with his memorable performance
The artist paid homage to Michael Jackson's "Remember The Time" and performed his hit single, "Call Me By Your Name." He ended his performance by making out with one of his male dancers! Happy Pride, y'all!
Tyler The Creator gave us set design
With his debut BET Awards performance, Tyler, The Creator gave us a whole movie in under 5 minutes with his performance of "Lumberjack."
Jazmine Sullivan & Ari Lennox bodied "On It"
Here's your daily reminder that Black women are stunning and R&B is alive and well.
All hail Queen Latifah
The tribute to one of the female Hip Hop pioneers was flawless. Rapsody and Monie Love bodied "Ladies First." Then, Lil Kim and MC Lyte slid in with "U.N.I.T.Y.." The Queen herself honored her late mother and shared a very special message to her partner. Everything about this was perfect.
DMX's legacy lives on
Method Man, Swizz Beatz, Griselda, Busta Rhymes and The LOX took the stage performing a medley of X's timeless hits. To close out a tribute for a King, it appropriately ended in prayer. We just know X is smiling down from Heaven.
For the full list of winners, check here. To relive the best of the red carpet, dive in here. You can find the full re-airing of the 2021 BET Awards on BET+.
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