Beyonce Wins At BET Awards
Generations of artists came together on Tuesday to celebrate African-American music at the BET Awards. Ne-Yo won for best R&B artist, Jennifer Hudson took home the award for best new artist and best actress and T.I. won for best hip-hop artist. Don Cheadle was given a humanitarian award for his work raising awareness about the Darfur genocide. Beyonce took home awards for best female R&B artist and video of the year for her song "Irreplaceable."
The awards themselves were secondary though, as music legends were honored throughout the night. Among those honored were Gerald Levert, who died last year, and James Brown who died on Christmas. Diana Ross received the Lifetime achievement award and advised younger artists to manage their behavior. "I have tried to keep the standards high," she said. "We do not have to say the F-word, we do not have to pump and grind, we do not have to some of these things to have longevity in our career."
At least one hip-hopper may have been listening. Rapper, Ludacris, who usually raps about parties and women, became serious when he accepted his award for best collaboration for "Runaway Love" with Mary J. Blige. "This was much more than a song, this was a movement," the rapper-actor said. "People say there's no content in hip-hop. This song is proof that there's content in hip-hop," about the song about the struggles of young girls growing up in the ghetto.
