THE “BET AWARDS” 2020 OPENED WITH A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC ENEMY’S “FIGHT THE POWER” FEATURING CHUCK D, FLAVOR FLAV, NAS, BLACK THOUGHT, RAPSODY, QUESTLOVE, JAHI AND YG
———-
BEYONCÉ KNOWLES-CARTER HONORED WITH HUMANITARIAN AWARD
———-
GLOBAL SUPERSTAR LIL WAYNE HONORED THE MEMORY OF NBA LEGEND KOBE BRYANT WITH A MOVING TRIBUTE
———-
ROCK AND ROLL HALL-OF-FAMER LITTLE RICHARD REMEMBERED WITH TRIBUTE FROM MULTI-TALENTED ACTOR/COMEDIAN WAYNE BRADY
———-
ALICIA KEYS, CHLOE X HALLE, DABABY, D SMOKE, JENNIFER HUDSON, JOHN LEGEND, JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS, KANE BROWN, LIL WAYNE, LONR., MASEGO, MEGAN THEE STALLION, RODDY RICCH, SIR, SUMMER WALKER, USHER, WAYNE BRADY AND MORE DELIVERED EXTRAORDINARY, NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN PERFORMANCES
#BETAWARDS
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#BETAWARDS–Tonight, BET honored an incredible and inspiring lineup of artists, entertainers, cultural icons and humanitarians across more than 20 categories at The “BET AWARDS” 2020. The show, hosted by actress and comedian Amanda Seales, aired live at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT across ViacomCBS networks including BET, BET HER, and made its national broadcast premiere on CBS on Sunday, June 28. 2020 marks both the 20th anniversary of the awards and BET’s 40th anniversary. This year’s show highlighted the absolute best in entertainment, social justice and culture with moving performances and appearances by some of the biggest names across television, film, and music; spreading an important message of hope and change.
The “BET AWARDS,” which has become synonymous with powerful artistry and social commentary, continues to spotlight and celebrate the artists and creators of tomorrow, making the ceremony one of the most news-provoking and talked-about broadcasts year after year.
This year’s awards used an array of innovative techniques, including stunning and dynamic artist-generated performances and packages, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the important and inspirational messages of Black Lives Matter and the urgent need for racial equality. The ceremony was an extraordinary celebration of black culture, love, joy, and pride, setting a new bar for awards shows produced during the ongoing pandemic.
BET Awards 2020 Images
http://www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?EventId=775527369
Additional photos/assets available via the BET press room
https://www.betpressroom.com/program/the-bet-awards-2020/
BET Awards 2020 Clips
https://www.quicksite.io/betawards20broadcastclips/channel/bet-awards-2020-broadcast
*Broadcast restrictions further below.
The “BET AWARDS” 2020 Show Highlights Include:
Chuck D, Nas, Black Thought, Rapsody, Flavor Flav, Questlove, Jahi, YG opened the show with an amazing performance of their song “Fight the Power.”
Anderson .Paak and Jay Rock followed, delivering a powerful and emotional rendition of the newly released song “Lockdown.” The song, which debuted this past Juneteenth, paints a detailed picture of the recent Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the tragic killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Megan Thee Stallion performed her new single “Girls In the Hood” along with her hit song “Savage.” The remix of the song featuring Beyoncé became Megan’s highest-charting song, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lil Wayne and Wayne Brady delivered emotional tributes to Kobe Bryant and Little Richard respectively. Brady sang renditions of Little Richard’s popular songs including “Lucille,” “Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Tutti Frutti.”
DaBaby and Roddy Ricch brought the house down during their performance of hit song “Rockstar,” which spent two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was released as the second single of DaBaby’s third studio album “Blame It On Baby.”
R&B sweetheart Summer Walker and pop icon Usher sang their hearts out while performing multiple songs including “Session 32″ “Come Thru” / “You Make Me Wanna.”
Jonathan McReynolds and Kane Brown took us all to church during their renditions of popular gospel songs “People” and “Worldwide Beautiful.”
Legendary gospel titans Kierra and Karen Clark Sheard of the iconic Clark Sisters delivered a power-packed rendition of the new song “Something Has to Break” from Kierra’s newly released sixth album “Kierra,” which debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums.
Introduced by former First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter accepted the Humanitarian Award for her years of her philanthropic service. Her heartfelt speech urged viewers to continue to fight against systemic racism by voting.
In addition to all of these must-see moments, the complete list of winners for The “BET AWARDS” 2020 can be found below:
| BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST |
| LIZZO |
| BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST |
| CHRIS BROWN |
| BEST GROUP |
| MIGOS |
| BEST COLLABORATION |
| CHRIS BROWN FT. DRAKE – “NO GUIDANCE” |
| BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST |
| DABABY |
| BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST |
| MEGAN THEE STALLION |
| VIDEO OF THE YEAR |
| DJ KHALED FT. NIPSEY HUSSLE & JOHN LEGEND – “HIGHER” |
| VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR |
| TEYANA “SPIKE TEE” TAYLOR |
| BEST NEW ARTIST |
| RODDY RICCH |
| DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD |
| KIRK FRANKLIN – “JUST FOR ME” |
| BEST ACTRESS |
| ISSA RAE |
| BEST ACTOR |
| MICHAEL B. JORDAN |
| YOUNGSTARS AWARD |
| MARSAI MARTIN |
| BEST MOVIE |
| QUEEN & SLIM |
| SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR |
| SIMONE BILES |
| SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR |
| LEBRON JAMES |
| ALBUM OF THE YEAR |
| PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR BEING ANTISOCIAL (RODDY RICCH) |
| BET HER AWARD |
| BEYONCÉ FT. BLUE IVY CARTER, WIZKID & SAINT JHN “BROWN SKIN GIRL” |
| BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT |
| BURNA BOY (NIGERIA) |
| VIEWERS’ CHOICE: BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL ACT |
|
SHA SHA (ZIMBABWE) |
For the latest The “BET AWARDS” 2020 news and updates, please visit BET.com/Awards.
Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET and Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment serves as Executive Producers for The “BET Awards” 2020 broadcast special.
Internationally, the show simulcast on BET Africa at 2 am CAT on June 29th, followed by international broadcasts in the UK on June 29th at 9 pm BST, France on June 30th at 8:45 pm CEST and in South Korea on June 30th at 9 pm KST.
BROADCAST RESTRICTIONS
News programs and services may excerpt portions of the 2020 BET Awards telecast during the seven days following the broadcast premiere on June, 28, 2020 solely for reporting about the 2020 BET Awards as an event and subject to the following conditions.
Broadcast Restrictions:
- Up to three minutes in total, but no more than thirty seconds of any single moment or performance, may be used within the period ending the first day following the telecast.
- Up to one minute in total, not separate from the three minutes referenced above and no more than thirty seconds of any single moment or performance may be used within the period of the second through seventh days following the telecast.
- Any display, exhibition or performance of the material must be accompanied by the chyron, “Courtesy of BET”.
Online Restrictions:
- Otherwise, up to thirty seconds of any single moment or performance may be used as part of a wrap-up package through the seventh day following the telecast (For purposes of clarification you may NOT use portions of the 2020 BET Awards as standalone video assets).
- Any display, exhibition or performance of the material must be accompanied by the chyron, “Courtesy of BET”, and a link to www.bet.com
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jamie Owens at jamie.owens@bet.net.
ABOUT BET NETWORKS
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation’s leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news, and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks – BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.
ABOUT “BET AWARDS”
The “BET Awards” is one of the most watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET’s #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.
ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT
Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran, NAACP Image® Award winner and Emmy® Award nominee Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, the company has played an integral role in producing some of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE produced the critically acclaimed biopic The New Edition Story, the story on the boy band that aired as a 3-part mini-series and posted record ratings for BET and attracted nearly 30 million viewers. It was followed by The Bobby Brown Story, which chronicled the talented but troubled singer’s exit from the popular ’80s boy band through his solo success, and was the highest rated non-tentpole program on the network since The New Edition Story. The next mini-series for JCE is Uptown, a 3-part original scripted miniseries for BET that will chronicle the story of producer Andre Harrell’s iconic record label, Uptown Records. The company’s current scripted TV series is American Soul, the story about the struggle to make the dream of Soul Train, the first nationally-syndicated Black music show, come true. It ended its first season as the #1 new cable scripted drama for African Americans 18-49 and its second season debuts in May 2020. Previously, JCE produced BET’s hit TV series Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart that ran for 5 seasons. On the unscripted side, JCE produces annual live specials — the BET Awards, Soul Train Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Past credits include Black Girls Rock!, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars, ABFF Honors, BET Honors, Love & Happiness: An Obama Farewell, VH1’s Dear Mama, HBO’s Amanda Seales I Be Knowin;’ Netflix’s Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine. JCE’s game shows include VH1’s Hip Hop Squares with Ice Cube and CMT’s Nashville Squares. Its music competition series on BET, Sunday Best is now in its 10th season and Netflix’s Rhythm & Flow featuring judges Tip “T.I.” Harris, Cardi B and Chance the Rapper will soon begin production on its second season that will air in 2021. Collins is also a producer for The Grammy Awards. He was on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop 100 Power Players list, has been featured on the cover of Vibe magazine and in numerous publications including Ebony magazine’s Power 100 issue. Go to http://www.jessecollinsent.com/ for more information on the company.
Follow us @BET_PR AND @BETAWARDS
Contacts
BET:
LeToya Glenn-Bacon
212.205.3158
letoya.glenn@bet.net
Dezmon Gilmore
212.205.3159
dezmon.gilmore@viacom.com
ID PUBLIC RELATIONS:
BETAwards@id-pr.com
CBS:
Kate Fisher
212.975.3818
khfisher@cbs.com