Usher acquired the Lifetime Achievement Award on the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday. He additionally received Finest Male R&B/Pop Artist earlier within the night time.
L.A. Reid and Babyface offered the award to Usher. “We couldn’t be extra pleased with the icon you’ve turn into, however extra importantly the person you’ve turn into,” Babyface mentioned.
Folks within the viewers screamed, “we love you” as Usher took the stage. Throughout Usher’s speech, the place the audio frequently lower out throughout the broadcast, he thanked those that carried out his songs throughout the all-star tribute that preceded his award. Previous to his acceptance speech, the present featured a star-studded tribute that includes artists singing his songs, together with Keke Palmer, Coco Jones, Tinashe, Victoria Monét, Latto, Chlöe Bailey, and Teyana Taylor.
Throughout his acceptance speech, he additionally thanked those that helped his profession, together with Reid and Babyface, who have been on stage presenting him the award. “Getting right here has positively not been straightforward, but it surely has been value it,” he mentioned. Whereas the feed lower in-and-out throughout his speech, Usher puzzled whether or not after his 30-year profession that’s being celebrated, “is it too early for me to obtain it?” he mentioned. “As a result of I’m nonetheless operating and gunning and I nonetheless love this shit like I did once I was eight years previous.”
Reflecting on his profession, he mentioned, “These moments that turn into legacy are all about expression and simply having enjoyable and discovering the connection and actually the spark.”
Usher additionally addressed his estranged relationship along with his father, which he mentioned “in all probability harm and helped me on the similar time.” He added, “They are saying success wants 100 fathers” and referred to the boys who stood with him on stage as “my village” that saved him motivated. He additionally talked about that he felt this was “the yr of the daddy,” the place “all of the fathers bought to face up for his or her sons, their daughters, and be the person that they must be for them.”
Whereas the feed continued to chop out, the top of his speech got here by way of. “We bought to be keen to forgive y’all. He who is aware of no sin forged the primary stone,” he mentioned. “You bought to be keen to forgive. You bought to be keen to be open. I’m telling you, standing earlier than a person who needed to forgive, a person who by no means confirmed up ever, and look what I made with it,” he mentioned. “Look what I used to be capable of usher in. However that’s what’s actual, and that’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us women and men. I thank y’all.”