Infantile Gambino, Keke Palmer & Extra Pay Musical Tribute To Usher For Lifetime Achievement At BET Awards

A number of the largest names in music got here collectively to have a good time a few of Usher Raymond‘s biggest hits on Sunday.

Childish Gambino, Keke Palmer, Chloe Bailey, Teyana Taylor and extra carried out a musical tribute to the R&B crooner as he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award on the 2024 BET Awards in Los Angeles.

Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis launched a video retrospective that includes business friends praising Usher’s profession, earlier than Gambino serenaded the stay viewers with the artist’s 2002 single ‘U Don’t Need to Name’ earlier than Palmer transitioned to ‘You Make Me Wanna…’

The tribute additionally featured a medley of hits like ‘Good Good’, ‘There Goes My Child’ and ‘Confessions Half II’ from artists like Summer season Walker, Coco Jones and Marsha Ambrosius.

After taking within the present entrance row, Usher accepted the award with a heartfelt speech. “Getting right here has undoubtedly not been straightforward but it surely has been value it,” he started.

“This Life Achievement Award… I don’t know, man. Is it too early for me to obtain it? As a result of I’m nonetheless operating and gunning and I nonetheless love this shit like I did after I was 8 years previous. However I wish to thank every one of many performers tonight who paid tribute.”

Usher added, “We was going again to moments that a few of y’all won’t even know, after I was dropping my pants. So these moments that turn into legacy are all about expression and simply having enjoyable and discovering the connection and the spark. After I first began, I had a unique thought about what I believed life was gonna be. I began off as an artist in a gaggle in Chatanooga, Tennessee, and my title was Cha-Cha. And I actually was trying to find some identification and I used to be doing that particularly as a result of I used to be attempting to make sense of this title that was given to me … {that a} man gave me that didn’t stick round as a result of he didn’t love me. Or a minimum of that was my notion of it as a result of I needed to stay lengthy sufficient to know that it’s important to have a forgiving coronary heart with the intention to perceive the true pitfalls and hardships of a Black man in America. And my father, he was a product of that. He made a variety of selections, he made a variety of selections. And the one which most likely harm and assist me on the similar time was to remain away, however that’s a part of the rationale why I say that is the yr of the daddy, the place all of the fathers gotta rise up for his or her sons, their daughters and be the person that they must be for them.”

The Coming House artist thanked his father figures as he was surrounded by “my village” onstage. “These are the boys who motivated me, who communicate to me, who’ve spoken to me,” Usher stated.

He additionally imparted some knowledge to his personal youngsters, whom he hugged earlier than stepping onstage.

“But it surely’s all about y’all,” stated Usher. “It’s one hundred pc all about my youngsters and making sure that you simply perceive that your desires can come true if you happen to’re actually dedicated to it. Should you’re devoted to one thing and you discover ardour and also you keep dedicated to it, this might doubtlessly be you. This may very well be your second — not on this stage, as a result of I’m the one one which’s gonna have this one. However you would have a second like this too.

Usher thanked his “beautiful spouse” Jennifer Goicoechea. “Thanks a lot for being my finest good friend,” he stated. “Thanks a lot for supporting me and inspiring me. For every one who has been a part of shopping for an album or both coming to a present or both supporting me, I completely wouldn’t have been in a position to do that with out you.”