Here are some of the beautiful people who walked the red carpet last night at the 4th Annual BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.
Some people you won't be seeing are Kanye West, who decided to take a day off from being hated by the world, and T.I., who won two awards despite being in prison (ha!).
Drink in my girl Kim Coles here. I'm sure she's done many wonderful things in her career, but Living Single will always be my favorite show. Oh, Synclaire, how you loved those troll dolls!
Check out these pictures of Ice Cube, Mike Epps, Busta Rhymes, Kevin Liles, Steven Hill, Toccara Jones, Kym Whitley, Snoop Dogg, Mario, Sherry Whitfield, and Kid 'n Play (!).
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Good lord, who wasn't rumored to be banned from attending the 2009 BET Awards? First, Chris Brownand then the word spread that former Destiny's Child bandmate LeToya Luckett was considered persona non grata at last weekend's awards show.
Although Beyonce Knowleshas dismissed the claim that Luckett was excluded at her behest, Luckett herself told the New York Daily News, "Everybody is different in their own ways, so it saddens me if that's true, and I hope that's not the case."
To be fair, maybe this was the work of Sasha Fierce. She's something of a diva, that one. Meanwhile, know what isn't a taboo subject in the Knowles household? Burgers, baby. And to prove that, here's our girl making sure those hips stay bootylicious. Gotta love a woman that eats.
Gallery Info: Beyonce Knowles enjoys a cheeseburger.
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Word had spread that Al Sharpton and Jay-Z made sure that Brown would not be in attendance, but a spokesperson for BET said "the rumors are false."
Although Chris has not commented on why he was a no-show, he's been keeping a relatively low profile since his legal troubles began. It had been thought that the young singer might appear to pay tribute to the late Michael Jackson, but instead Brown released a statement in which he said, "I am devastated by this great loss, and I will continue to be humbled and inspired by his legacy."
Gallery Info: Chris Brown during Pleasure P album release party at Karu & Y Miami, Florida.
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Most of yesterday's BET Awards were dedicated to remembering late pop superstarMichael Jackson, but as they say, the show must go on. And a slew of stars crossed the stage Sunday evening to accept their prizes for the year. Beyonce Knowles, who brought the audience to tears with an emotional rendition of "Ave Maria," snagged video of the year for "Single Ladies, as well as Best Female R&B artist. Best Actor and Actress went to Will Smith and Taraji P. Henson, respectively. Best Male R&B Artist was Ne-Yo, who performed a cover of Michael Jacdkson's Lady in My Life during the evening's festivities.
Best Male & Female Hip-Hop Artists were Lil Wayne and M.I.A. and we're not sure if Lil Mama won some kind of fashion award for her interesting hair and outfit combo, but she should have.
Meanwhile, Alicia Keys was all dark, wavy ringlets and beading in her mini-dress. The singer was one of many stars who mentioned the King of Pop during the evening's festivities. Sean Combssaid simply that Jackson "made [him] believe in magic.
Janet Jackson gave a moving speech at the 2009 BET Awards.
"My entire family wanted to be here tonight but it was just too painful, so they elected me to speak to all of you. I'm going to keep it very short. To you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family. And he will forever will live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my family, and myself, thank you for all of your love. Thank you for all of your support. We miss him so much. Thank you so much."
Beyonce performed "Ave Maria" and "Arms of an Angel" at the 2009 BET Awards wearing a wedding dress. The singer wore a sparkly outfit earlier on the red carpet. Beyonce was nominated for five awards this evening.
The show didn't waste any time, kicking off the proceedings with a 10-minute tribute that brought the packed crowd at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium to their feet, immediately establishing the show as a sort of wake for the fallen singer.
The show opened with a clip of Jackson's appearance on the 2003 BET Awards, where he performed with James Brown. It was a melancholy but inspiring introduction to the proceedings. The audience was then treated to a stunning performance by New Edition, who performed a medley of Jackson 5 hits. The iconic R&B group, led by Bobby Brown, sang and danced their way through classics like "ABC" and "The Love You Save."
Following New Edition's performance, host Jamie Foxx walked on stage dressed like vintage Jackson: The Thriller-era red leather jacket and a single sparkling sequined glove. Foxx greeted the audience and immediately launched into a performance of "Beat It." Foxx, who has plenty of experience mimicking R&B icons, ran through the classic Jackson tune with aplomb, never missing a note.
After the ovation, Foxx told the audience that the show would be festive. "No need to be sad," he told the audience. "We want to celebrate this black man. He belongs to us and we shared him with everyone else." Foxx kept it light, poking fun at Jackson's nose and the change in his skin tone over the years. "Michael was all kinds of black. He was Wesley Snipes and Chico DeBarge at the same time."
Hats off to Michael!
All of our Michael Jackson coverage can be found here.
Gallery Info: Jamie Foxx and New Edition perform at the 2009 BET Awards
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Sporting a black hat, sunglasses and a dark suit, Joe Jackson, the patriarch of the Jackson family told CNN about Michael: "I wish the world had recognized him when he was living. Right now, he's bigger than ever. But I wish he was here to see all this, to hear all this."
Jackson also told the CNN television network outside the show that there were still "a lot of concerns about what happened" in final hours of son's life. Joe also took the opportunity to promote his new record label near the end of the interview.
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