The 2024 BET Awards on Sunday (June 30) went pretty much as expected. The awards were presented at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Taraji P. Henson hosting for the third time.
Usher won best male R&B/pop artist for the fifth time. He also received a lifetime achievement award. To win a major current award at the same time he picked up a career-capping honor made it very much his night.
Usher has had a big year, headlining the Super Bowl halftime show and landing a big crossover hit with “Good Good,” a collab with Summer Walker and 21 Savage. That song logged 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, a tally matched by only seven of his 53 career Hot 100 hits.
SZA won best female R&B/pop artist for the second year in a row. She’s the first artist to win back-to-back award in this category since Beyoncé won six years in a row from 2014-19. SZA’s smash “Saturn” kept her name in the forefront even though she hasn’t released a new album since SOS in December 2022.
Tyla’s win for best international act was a foregone conclusion. The South African singer has had a breakthrough year. In January, her smash, “Water,” reached its No. 7 peak on the Billboard Hot 100. In February, that track won the inaugural Grammy Award for best African music performance.
But don’t get the idea that everything went predictably. There were also a few snubs and surprises sprinkled throughout the four-hour show. Take a look.