BET: Musical tribute to Usher's Lifetime Achievement win steals show
The 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles saw R&B artist Usher Raymond being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The star-studded event included performances from Childish Gambino, Keke Palmer, Chloe Bailey, and Teyana Taylor who celebrated Usher's greatest hits. The tribute featured renditions of his popular songs such as Good Good, There Goes My Baby, and Confessions Part II. Notably, the singer also won the Best Male R&B/Hip-Hop Artist award.
Usher's career celebrated with star-studded performances
The tribute to Usher began with a video retrospective introduced by producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, featuring industry peers praising his career. Childish Gambino kicked off the live performances with Usher's 2002 hit U Don't Have to Call, followed by Palmer performing You Make Me Wanna... The event also included a medley of Usher's hits performed by artists such as Summer Walker, Coco Jones, and Marsha Ambrosius.
Take a look at the tribute performances here
'Getting here has definitely not been easy': Usher's acceptance speech
After watching the tribute from the front row, Usher accepted his Lifetime Achievement Award with an over 12-minute heartfelt speech. He began by saying, "Is it too early for me to receive it? Because I'm still running and gunning and I still love this shit like I did when I was 8 years old." "But I want to thank each and every one of the performers tonight who paid tribute."
Usher thanked his family and imparted wisdom to children
In his acceptance speech, Usher thanked his father figures present on stage, referring to them as "my village." He also imparted wisdom to his own children before stepping onstage, emphasizing that their dreams can come true if they are truly committed and dedicated. The R&B artist concluded his speech by expressing gratitude toward his wife Jennifer Goicoechea for her unwavering support and encouragement throughout his career.
Meanwhile, a technical glitch interrupted Usher's family tribute
Almost four minutes into his speech at the awards show, Usher's audio began cutting in and out for nearly four minutes straight. According to Billboard, during the technical glitch Usher uttered "f-k" and "motherf-ker" once. When the sound was finally restored, Usher took the opportunity to shout out his eldest sons Usher "Cinco" Raymond V and Nayvid Ely Raymond, who were seated in the front row, along with his son Sire Raymond and daughter Sovereign Bo, who were at home.
