The 2015 BET Awards are in the books. If you were on Twitter last night, you got a minute-by-minute recap of the entire show filled with hilarious memes and commentary. BET has its fair share issues, but you have to give the network credit for attempting to bring together the sprawling depth of the black experience in music and pop culture. Here are some of the notable moments (performance-wise) from the show.
NOSTAGLIA REIGNS AT BAD BOY REUNION: Diddy falling into an Acme black hole and 112 members being in dire need of oxygen tanks couldn’t stop the joy we all had seeing the Bad Boy crew back together. Despite some glaring omissions (Total, Craig Mack, G-Dep, Black Rob etc.), Diddy’s energy kept things flowing and the sheer medley of hits kept you ready for the set’s seminal moment – Lil Kim emerging from the bottom of the stage for her classic “Benjamins” verse. Gotta dock a full grade for French Montana getting stage time, though.
I wonder if Diddy charged extra publishing on the team just for old time’s sake.
GRADE: B+
MS. JACKSON GETS HER JUST DUE: Although there were some grumblings about the artists selected to pay tribute (Ciara, Tinashe, Jason Derulo), there is really no one outside of (maybe) Beyoncé that could combine Janet’s mix of dance and song. Wisely, the tribute trio opted just to focus on the iconic dance routines instead of attempting to sing. The dancing wasn’t as fluid in some parts but that’s just nitpicking on my part.
GRADE: A-
youtube https://youtu.be/rhe8JSel0C0
SMOKEY ROBINSON TRIBUTE: Judging by his vocals, Smokey Robinson didn’t need anyone to do his tribute. With that said, Tori Kelly did a good job and Robin Thicke wasn’t bad either, although his selection was highly ironic considering his lawsuit with the estate of another Motown legend, Marvin Gaye.
GRADE: A
OMEEKA AND CB: Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill had nice couple moment while pushing Meek’s new single “All Eyes on You.” The set was disappointing only in the sense we didn’t get to hear any of Minaj’s recent hits off The Pink Print.
GRADE: C+
FETTY WAP YOWLS SOME MORE: As a fellow Jersey kid, I’m always happy to see someone from my home state do well. “Trap Queen” might just be the Hip-Hop song of the year in terms of its exposure and immersion in pop culture. But the “wino signing” trend that’s been miring mainstream Hip-Hop in recent years has got to go.
GRADE: C
TO PIMP A BET AWARDS PERFORMANCE: One of the best songs on Kendrick Lamar’s critically-acclaimed To Pimp a Butterfly album got a lively performance last night. Very strong symbolism with the flag and police cars. Plus we got a new verse.
GRADE: A
PATTI LABELLE “SANGS” WITH K. MICHELLE AND TAMAR BRAXTON: It wouldn’t be a BET Awards show without Patti LaBelle “sanging.” K.Michelle and Tamar Braxton being mature adults was great, too. Your guess is as good as mine regarding what was up with Tamar’s Clockwork Orange eyeliner.
GRADE: A
Who was your favorite performance? Check out the rest of the sets HERE.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 