Black really is king and we are so happy we are gang! As we inch back into our new normal, we can't help but gush over the events we missed last year. The BET Awards is at the top of the list because of its Blackity, Black, Blackness. Since 2001, Black Entertainment Television has made it their business to highlight the achievements of our people in music and entertainment overall. This year marks the 20th year of the awards show that has always shown up and shown out as a true custodian of the culture.
In a press release, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, Connie Orlando, shared, "As we return LIVE with culture's biggest night, this year's show marks many firsts-including the highest number of performers in 21 years of BET Awards; and viewers can expect several surprise moments. Some of today's hottest talent will join us for our return to LA for an unforgettable night celebrating Black excellence."
This year's theme: The Year of the Black Woman. The stars are aligning to "honor and celebrate the immense cultural impact of Black women." From the ultimate cheerleader Taraji P Henson as the host, to showcasing the magic of superheroes like Stacey Abrams and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Queen Latifah, the motif couldn't be more accurate for this year and every year.
Of course, we are here for any celebration of Black women and we are also here for the lewks! After a year of no glam, this feels like Christmas. Keep reading for some of our favorites from this amazing show of Black excellence.
Taraji P. Henson
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
We love a hostess with the mostest and this multi-hyphenate boss came to slay dripping in Versace. The high-slit showing off her gorgeous gams, the cutouts, the colors – it's everything. The platform heels and long, silky-straight hair creates a true Hollywood getup ideal for tonight's show.
As the quintessential girls' girl, Taraji told People that she's so thrilled "that young Black and brown girls have a large selection of successful women to look up to like politician and activist Stacey Abrams and historic Vice President Kamala Harris."
Lonnie Chavis
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Somebody tell Lonnie Chavis that we aren't ready for him to grow up because he isn't Lil Randall anymore. Especially in this Dior fit because he looked fire in the matching silk suit. When he's not making us cry on This is Us, he's apparently showing us Black Boy Joy is so real.
Zendaya
Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET
Leave it to the red carpet slayer, Zendaya, to give us all the BET Awards nostalgia we didn't even know we needed. Wearing vintage 2003 Versace, the style icon paid homage to Beyonce by wearing the same dress she donned at the 2003 BET Awards during her unforgettable "Crazy In Love" performance. Zendaya's stylist, Law Roach, always understands the assignment and tonight was no different.
Giveon
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It's not our Heartbreak Anniversary but we are fawning over Giveon's black on black outfit. God took his time with this Black man and we just want to stop and say thank you father!
Saweetie
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Our unproblematic queen, and bestie, Saweetie pulled up to the awards in the most queenly Dolce & Gabbana gown. Please get into this makeup look also because she is glowing like never before. It may have something to do with the way she minds her business and drinks her water but that's just our theory.
Lil Nas X
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"MONTERO" singer, Lil Nas X, glided down the red carpet in a beautifully structured gown. He is living his Cinderella dream and we are so honored that we get to experience his light.
H.E.R.
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We can always depend on this songbird to serve up a crazy, sexy, cool lewk. Her take on the classic suit matches the star-studded night. Fun fact: H.E.R. is celebrating her birthday today at the BET Awards. What better way to celebrate than at the biggest night for the culture celebrating the amazingness of our Blackness.
Sevyn Streeter
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
Aaliyah is definitely smiling down from heaven looking at Sevyn Streeter in this pearl-embellished ensemble. From her body giving what it's supposed to had gave to the matching headscarf, Sevyn was definitely a style stunner on tonight's carpet.
Chloe Bailey
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
One thing about the elder half of Chloe x Halle, she's going to break the internet when she leaves the house. Wearing a lace netted frock with leather undergraments, she is proof that Black girls are straight magic. Even her locs perfectly drape her face because they know their place on an angel's face.
Ciara
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
Alexandre Vauthier must have sewn this onto CiCi's bawdy because it is perfection. She has always been a vision in her lewks but she has really stepped it up as of late; it's safe to say this is a Ciara stan account.
Tyler, the Creator
Amy Sussman/FilmMagic
Oh, Tyler. Thanks for being you. We need little Black boys to see your quirkiness and know that it's OK to try different things. We are not a monolith and that's what makes us.
Ashanti
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
Baby, baby, baby, baby, babbbbbyyyyyyy... Ashanti always reigns supreme whenever she graces us with her presence. This Julien Macdonald gown exudes whimsy on the Long Island native's melanated skin. The high pony paired with the plunging neckline deserves its own award.
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Yet, the 49-year-old's background sets her apart from other first ladies. Shaunie brings a unique perspective as a public figure, which stems from her previous marriage to NBA star Shaquille O'Neal and her experience in reality television.
In an interview with xoNecole, while promoting her memoir Undefeated, the Basketball Wives creator discussed what being a first lady means to her and how she has lived her life non-traditionally.
When asked if she had always been nontraditional, Shaunie revealed that throughout her life, she has made it her mission to better herself by learning from experiences and breaking harmful cycles.
Shaunie Henderson and Pastor Keion Henderson
Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images
“I think that's just who I am. I can’t say I intentionally go against the grain. In the book, I talk about things from my childhood, like my dad being late all the time. I was totally opposite with my kids when they were in school. I was always there early. My mother is not affectionate, and she doesn't verbally say, ‘I love you,’ but she does things to let you know. That's the way she shows her love,” she said when describing her relationship with her parents.
“But because I missed that 'I love you' and hugging and kissing, I do that with my kids. I try to always give what I needed myself. There were basketball wives who weren’t very nice to me, so I went out of my way to make sure that once I was a wife that I didn't treat anybody else like that. No one was going to feel like that on my watch.”
Toward the end of the conversation, when discussing her first lady responsibilities and the pressures of upholding that image, the mother of five explained she isn't too hard on herself to fit the mold, given her significantly different background from most first ladies and her relatively new role.
“As far as being first lady, now, I'm not knocking how any first ladies decide to operate but I just knew that the idea of what that usually is was not me. And, to be honest, rightfully so. I'm probably the only first lady that created a reality show that has been on television since 2010. My life is not remotely close to that of most first ladies. We've experienced completely different things. Most of them have been pastor’s wives for a long time, this is all new for me. I come with an entirely different journey; that wouldn’t lend itself to being a traditional first lady,” she stated.
Shaunie's nontraditional approach appears to work in her favor, as she has been welcomed with open arms just as she is.
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