Mary J. Blige received the lifetime achievement honor at tonight’s BET Awards ceremony, broadcasting from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Rihanna was on hand to bestow the honor. “Mary J. Blige, you have set the bar for relatable, timeless, classic music. You opened multiple doors for female artists in this industry,” Rihanna said. “On behalf of all the women who came after you like myself, thank you for being you so we can be comfortable being ourselves.” Watch an excerpt of Rihanna’s speech below, and watch the entire thing here.
When Blige took the stage, she turned to Rihanna and said, “You inspire me right back, so thank you.” Following her speech, Blige performed a medley featuring some of her biggest songs, including “My Life,” “No More Drama,” “Real Love,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Reminisce,” “Be Happy,” “You Remind Me,” “Love No Limit,” and more. During “I Can Love You,” Lil Kim came out. Method Man joined her for “You’re All I Need.” Watch the full performance below.
Previous BET lifetime achievement honorees include Prince, James Brown, Whitney Houston, and Diana Ross. Mary J. Blige’s last studio LP was 2017’s Strength of a Woman, which featured “Love Yourself,” Blige’s joint track with Kanye West. Since that album, Blige has shared one-off single “Only Love,” as well as “Thriving” with Nas. Blige and Nas kick off a co-headlining tour later this summer.
https://pitchfork.com/news/bet-awards-2019-watch-rihanna-honor-mary-j-blige-with-lifetime-achievement-award
