It was another star studded event at the annual Black Entertainment Awards as celebrities from all genres of entertainment gathered to honor each other. Held in downtown Los Angeles’ Nokia Theater, the show kicked off with a performance by Chris Brown after which actor Don Cheadle presented Miguel with the first award of the evening for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and dedicated the night to the ailing Nelson Mandela.
Teenage Olympian Gabrielle Douglas with award
Ice Prince beat out contenders 2Face Idibia, R2Bees, Radio and Weasel to receive the award for Best International Act: Africa during the pre-show, and was the first to break the news to Trendy Africa’s Samantha Ofole-Prince on the red carpet.
Ice Prince
“It feels amazingly great and it’s an honor to even be here,” he shared. “For Africa, we have come a long way as 5 years ago our music was not in this category. There are people from Ghana, South Africa and Uganda. The whole Africa is here and it’s great to see that.”
Jamie Foxx with his Best Actor Award
Hosted by Chris Tucker who kept the audience in stitches with jabs at former President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the three and a half hour show included performances by R. Kelly, Austin Browne, Janelle Monae, Mariah Carey, J. Cole, Ciara and Tamela Mann.
Stevie Wonder, Jamie Foxx, Pharrell, Snoop Dogg and India.Arie also performed as part of a tribute to 60-year-old musician Charlie Wilson who earned the lifetime achievement award.
Dwyane Wade and girlfriend Gabrielle Union hit the red carpet at the 2013 BET Awards
A surprise performance from Dawn Penn, Elephant Man, Chaka Demus & Pliers and Beenie Man had the audience on their feet, but it was the collaborated performance by Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake and Charlie Wilson, which drew the loudest cheers.
Miguel received the evening’s first award which was presented to him by Don Cheadle
Singer Nicki Minaj took home the Best Female Artist accolade and Olympic gymnast Gabrielle Douglas received the YoungStars award, which was presented to her by comedian Cedric the Entertainer. “I am blessed that I can use this platform, as an athletic to inspire people,” Douglas told reporters backstage. “I feel that you should never stop believing in yourself.”
Wearing a shirt that featured a picture of Trayvon Martin, Jamie Foxx who received the Best Actor award took a minute onstage to acknowledge acting pioneers Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte who he called “acting Gods.” The actor also paid homage to Quentin Tarantino dedicating his accolade to the director.
Gospel duo Tamela and David Mann on the red carpet
Gospel duo Mary, Mary beat out Tamela Mann to receive the Best Gospel award, and despite twelve nominations, Drake only took home two awards. It was Kendrick Lamar who received the most awards of the evening. The newcomer received a Best New Artist award, Best Collaboration with A$AP Rocky for track “Problems,” and Best Male Hip Hop Artist.
Other winners included Kerry Washington for Best Actress and Rihanna for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist award and LeBron James who took home the Sportsmen of the Year award.
Samantha Ofole-Prince is a journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film. She serves as the Entertainment Editor for Trendy Africa.
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