Usher was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday (June 30), a night that also saw him win Best Male R&B/Pop Artist. Presented by L.A. Reid and Babyface, the ceremony recognized the “U Got It Bad” hitmaker’s profound impact on music.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the icon you’ve become, but more importantly, the man you’ve become,” Babyface told him. Subsequently, Childish Gambino took the stage to do a rendition of “U Don’t Have to Call” before Keke Palmer stepped in to sing “You Make Me Wanna…”
Other artists who contributed to the powerful tribute included Summer Walker, Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Chlöe and Tinashe, who performed “Good Good,” “There Goes My Baby,” “Superstar,” “Good Kisser” and “Nice & Slow,” respectively. Meanwhile, Victoria Monét and Teyana Taylor teamed up to recreate “Bad Girl” while Latto closed the set out by rapping along to “Yeah!”
Usher expressed gratitude to the aforementioned acts during his acceptance speech, which was intermittently disrupted by audio issues. “Getting here has definitely not been easy, but it has been worth it,” the R&B legend reflected. He humorously questioned the timing of the award, considering his ongoing passion and plans in music: “Is it too early for me to receive it? Because I’m still running and gunning, and I still love this like I did when I was 8 years old.”
“If you’re dedicated to something, and you find passion, and you stay committed to it, this could potentially be you. This could be your moment — not on this stage because I’m the only one that’s gonna have this one. But you could have a moment like this too,” Usher continued. “For each and every person who has been part of buying an album or either coming to a show or supporting me, I absolutely would not have been able to do this without you.”