Usher’s BET Awards Tribute Was Led By Women. As It Should Have Been

All eyes were on Usher Raymond as he was honored with the 2024 BET Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The prestigious award recognizes the musical and cultural contributions of a veteran artist. With Raymond's successful three-decade career, it was only natural for the beloved superstar to receive his flowers for gifting generations with timeless R&B hits. He was serenaded with a special musical tribute encompassing his chart-topping hits, with nods to his most talked about performances throughout his career. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover’s musical alterego), Keke Palmer, Marsha Ambrosius, Coco Jones, Summer Walker, Chlöe, Tinashe, Teyana Taylor, Victoria Monet, and Latto celebrated the R&B king in a nearly 20-minute production. 

Female artists leading Usher’s tribute seemed to be a controversial choice for some folks watching from home. But despite the backlash for the decision to have women pay tribute to the King of R&B, the tribute made perfect sense. Women dominate the Billboard charts. The growing support of women in music has resulted in increased representation of songwriters to artists landing top placements on music charts. Billboard reported that at the end of 2023, the increased percentage of female artists reached an all-time high, with over 40% reflecting women. Victoria Monet's 2023 breakout hit, "On My Mama," achieved No. 1 status on the charts, subsequently knocking SZA's "Snooze" to No. 2 after remaining in the spot for 21 non-consecutive weeks. Coco Jones also earned the No. 1 spot on the R&B charts for her famous hit, "ICU," from her 2022 EP. Women are redefining the standards of a traditional male-centered industry, so it makes sense for the biggest names in music to deliver Raymond's tribute front and center.

Donald Glover (as Childish Gambino) was the only male exception during the Usher tribute. Glover opened the act by hitting Raymond's high notes from his 2001 smash single, "U Don't Have To Call," moments after jokingly calling out BET for the little recognition he's received from the network. Before presenting the winner for Album Of The Year, the award-winning artist and actor took a moment to shade BET for his award snubs. 

"I'm really excited to be here, but I wanted to get some things off my chest," Glover said during his speech. "This isn't personal, but I feel like I should have more BET Awards. I'm serious. It's the Black Entertainment Television Awards. How much more entertaining do I have to do? It doesn't really make sense. I have more Grammys than Will Smith, but I have the same amount of BET Awards as Sam Smith." 

While the crowd erupted in laughter, the truth behind Glover's joke exposes the cracks of the BET Awards lacking to celebrate different variations of Black excellence. Lenny Kravitz made similar complaints recently when he said he felt like he was “not celebrated” by Black award shows in his career. Lil Nas X has also spoken out about his beef with the BET Awards. There is something to be said about which Black artists BET chooses to revere and why. So Glover's feelings are valid. From his Grammy award-winning single "This Is America" to his creation of the FX series Atlanta (for which he won two Emmys), Glover has produced culturally relevant projects that deserve more recognition from Black organizations like the BET Awards. He has the stamp of approval from the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, Emmys, Grammys and more. When it comes to being accepted by the Black-led organizations, however, his work is not as acknowledged. That said, since Glover has gotten the love from white institutions that many Black artists do not get, it’s understandable that a space like the BET Awards has chosen to awards other creatives who don’t typically get that validation. 

While it is no easy feat for Black artists to be honored by traditionally white award shows, the recognition resonates differently when their Black art is also accepted by their community. "Me and Sam Smith are neck and neck at the Black Entertainment Television Awards," Glover continued (a white artist winning over Childish Gambino makes no sense at all). "If I have to do Baby Boy, just let me know. I'll have Jonathan Majors put me in a headlock and shave my head. I'll do it,” Glover joked. Despite Glover's mini rant, his commitment to honoring Black artistry proceeded as he paid homage to Raymond later that evening.  

Who BET has chosen to celebrate in the past is what Glover was calling out, but the same issue was a hot topic during last night’s show. Aside from Glover’s appearance as Childish Gambino, the tribute was all women. As the prominence of female artists rises, the acceptance of the shift seems to be falling behind. The reviews of the tribute were mixed, with criticism of how many women were on the BET Awards stage. People either loved it, or hated it. 

Instead of focusing on the undeniable talent of the selected female artists, many viewers were more concerned that male artists weren't included in the tribute. That critique not only lacks consideration for the current state of the music industry (and the strides that have been made by women in R&B), but also the understanding of who Raymond makes music for. 
From his slow jams to his more upbeat classics, Raymond's core audience has always been women. "Bad Girl," "Good Good," "There Goes My Baby," and "Superstar" are just a few fan-favorite tracks that were featured in the tribute. The common denominator shared between these songs, and the others performed, is that women are the inspiration behind and at the center of his lyrics. That fact alone warrants the creative decision to have women take the lead to honor the artist with his body of work that has catered to female listeners since his debut in the 90s.  

Say what you will about the caliber of the performances (people are entitled to their opinions on whether or not these artists did Usher justice), but what you can’t say is that women didn't deserve to be on that BET Awards stage just as much as any other male artist. The roster of women who rocked the stage are some of the most famous, successful, and talented in the genre. Usher loves the ladies (remember his viral Vegas moments?), and last night, the ladies got to love him right back.