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Queen Latifah was celebrated for her impressive career on Sunday night when she was awarded the lifetime achievement prize at the 2021 BET Awards.
The Bringing Down The House star, 51, took to the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to thank her loved ones, her team and her fans.
Accompanied by her father Lancelot Owens Sr. and a photograph of her late mother Rita Owens, Queen Latifah said she was ‘extremely moved’ to have been awarded the accolade.
Star: Queen Latifah was celebrated for her impressive career on Sunday night when she was awarded the lifetime achievement prize at the 2021 BET Awards
Queen Latifah looked flawless as she took to the stage to accept her award in a black lace top, a white maxi skirt with a pink chiffon waist ribbon and a ochre shawl
The actress touchingly said: ‘I’m so extremely moved, I don’t even know what to say. Let me just say that I want to thank God, because God designed this whole thing to be this way.’
‘There is no way that I could have had the parents that I was born to, my father, my mother, who instilled so much in me.
‘My family, I love you. My siblings, my best friends who ride or die with me. Whether my face is on the dirt or flying in the sky, they know me and they are there for me…
‘I want to thank BET for creating an outlet for beautiful Blackness to thrive, to shine.
Extremely moved: The Bringing Down The House star, 51, took to the stage at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles to thank her loved ones, her team and her fans
She continued: ‘When we couldn’t get played on the radio and other places, we couldn’t get our videos played in other places, there was BET, that allowed us to be in our fullness and to shine to this night right now, right here.
‘Bless everybody that graced the stage tonight and everyone in the audience for all your support… Be Black. Black is beautiful,’ the star concluded.
Ahead of the touching speech, female rappers Rapsody, Monie Love, Lil Kim, and MC Lyte paid tribute to the actress with a mash up of Ladies First and Unity.
Noting the performance, Queen Latifah gushed: ‘Thank you so much, everyone. Thank you, my sisters – y’all my sisters in the name of rap.’
Touching: Queen Latifah thanked her later mother Rita Owens in the speech and said that she had ‘instilled so much’ in her
Queen Latifah has enjoyed an incredible career, starring in films including Hairspray, Chicago, Set It Off, Miracles From Heaven and The Secret Life of Bees.
She has also released seven studio albums and twenty-three singles.
The theme of the 2021 Bet Awards – which was held with a live audience there for the first time since the pandemic began – was ‘Year of the Black Woman’.
Taraji P. Henson said at the start of the night: “Celebrating Black women isn’t a fad or a trend it’s a forever mood.
“There is more than enough room for all of us to thrive, because can’t nobody be like me and can’t nobody be you like you.”
Sharp: The star was accompanied for the evening by her father Lancelot Owens Sr. who cut a dapper figure in a black suit and petrol blue tie
‘I want to thank BET for creating an outlet for beautiful Blackness to thrive, to shine,’ Queen Latifah said in the powerful acceptance speech
Elsewhere in the ceremony, Megan Thee Stallion won best female hip hop artist, best collaboration and video of the year for ‘WAP’ with Cardi B, and the viewer’s choice prize for ‘Savage (Remix)’ with Beyonce.
Meanwhile, Andra Day won best actress, for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in The United States Vs. Billie Holiday.
Chadwick Boseman won best actor, while Lil Baby scooped best male hip hop artist and SZA’s Good Days scored the BET Her Award.
Stunning: Queen Latifah looked flawless as she took to the stage to accept her award in a black lace top, a white maxi skirt with a pink chiffon waist ribbon and a ochre shawl
The BET Awards honor Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports in 21 categories, and rook place in person this year after being held virtually in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, said in a statement: ‘We are back and excited to bring culture’s biggest night, the 2021 BET Awards, safely back to Los Angeles to celebrate this year’s incredible roster of nominees.
‘We broke ground as one of the first official award shows to move forward during the global pandemic and we are ready to take our pioneer status to the next level with the return of an audience to celebrate the best and brightest creative minds in the entertainment industry.’
2021 BET Awards Winners
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
AFTER HOURS – THE WEEKND
BLAME IT ON BABY – DABABY
GOOD NEWS – MEGAN THEE STALLION
HEAUX TALES – JAZMINE SULLIVAN – WINNER
KING’S DISEASE – NAS
UNGODLY HOUR – CHLOE X HALLE
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP – WINNER
BEST COLLABORATION
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP – WINNER
DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH – ROCKSTAR
DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE – POPSTAR
JACK HARLOW FT. DABABY, TORY LANEZ & LIL WAYNE – WHATS POPPIN (REMIX)
MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. DABABY – CRY BABY
POP SMOKE FT. LIL BABY & DABABY – FOR THE NIGHT
BEST FEMALE R&B / POP ARTIST
BEYONCÉ
H.E.R. – WINNER
JAZMINE SULLIVAN
JHENÉ AIKO
SUMMER WALKER
SZA
BEST MALE R&B / POP ARTIST
6LACK
ANDERSON .PAAK
CHRIS BROWN – WINNER
GIVEON
TANK
THE WEEKND
GIVEON – WINNER
BEST NEW ARTIST
COI LERAY
FLO MILLI
GIVEON – WINNER
JACK HARLOW
LATTO
POOH SHIESTY
BEST GROUP
21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN
CHLOE X HALLE
CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG
CITY GIRLS
MIGOS
SILK SONIC – WINNER
BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST
CARDI B
COI LERAY
DOJA CAT
MEGAN THEE STALLION – WINNER
LATTO
SAWEETIE
LIL BABY – WINNER
BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST
DABABY
DRAKE
J. COLE
JACK HARLOW
LIL BABY – WINNER
POP SMOKE
DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD
BEBE WINANS – IN JESUS NAME
CECE WINANS – NEVER LOST
H.E.R. – HOLD US TOGETHER
KIRK FRANKLIN – STRONG GOD – WINNER
MARVIN SAPP – THANK YOU FOR IT ALL
TAMELA MANN – TOUCH FROM YOU
BET HER AWARD
ALICIA KEYS FT. KHALID – SO DONE
BRANDY FT. CHANCE THE RAPPER – BABY MAMA
BRI STEVES – ANTI QUEEN
CHLOE X HALLE – BABY GIRL
CIARA FT. ESTER DEAN – ROOTED
SZA – GOOD DAYS – WINNER
BURNA BOY (NIGERIA) – WINNER
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT
AYA NAKAMURA (FRANCE)
BURNA BOY (NIGERIA) – WINNER
DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA)
EMICIDA (BRAZIL)
HEADIE ONE (UK)
WIZKID (NIGERIA)
YOUNG T & BUGSEY (UK)
YOUSSOUPHA (FRANCE)
VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG – GO CRAZY
DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH – ROCKSTAR
DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE – POPSTAR
DRAKE FT. LIL DURK – LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
LIL BABY – THE BIGGER PICTURE
MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. BEYONCÉ – SAVAGE (REMIX) – WINNER
SILK SONIC – LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP – WINNER
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
CARDI B – UP
CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP – WINNER
CHLOE X HALLE – DO IT
CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG – GO CRAZY
DRAKE FT. LIL DURK – LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
SILK SONIC – LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN
VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
BENNY BOOM
BRUNO MARS AND FLORENT DÉCHARD – WINNER
COLE BENNETT
COLIN TILLEY
DAVE MEYERS
HYPE WILLIAMS
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – WINNER
BEST MOVIE
COMING 2 AMERICA
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH – WINNER
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
SOUL
THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY
BEST ACTRESS
ANDRA DAY – WINNER
ANGELA BASSETT
ISSA RAE
JURNEE SMOLLETT
VIOLA DAVIS
ZENDAYA
BEST ACTOR
ALDIS HODGE
CHADWICK BOSEMAN – WINNER
DAMSON IDRIS
DANIEL KALUUYA
EDDIE MURPHY
LAKEITH STANFIELD
YOUNGSTARS AWARD
ALEX R. HIBBERT
ETHAN HUTCHISON
LONNIE CHAVIS
MARSAI MARTIN – WINNER
MICHAEL EPPS
STORM REID
NAOMI OSAKA – WINNER
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
A’JA WILSON
CANDACE PARKER
CLARESSA SHIELDS
NAOMI OSAKA – WINNER
SERENA WILLIAMS
SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
KYRIE IRVING
LEBRON JAMES – WINNER
PATRICK MAHOMES
RUSSELL WESTBROOK
RUSSELL WILSON
STEPHEN CURRY
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