Musical icons and community trailblazers gathered at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, for Culture’s Biggest Night. The 2025 BET Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, featured a plethora of cultural moments from nostalgic performances to legendary tributes. Check out GU’s recap of the best moments from last night’s award ceremony.
106 & Park Anniversary Tribute Serves Cultural Nostalgia
The BET Awards celebrated the 25th anniversary of the timeless countdown music video show, 106 & Park. The tribute invited viewers into a world of musical nostalgia, featuring some of the show’s former hosts, including Free, Terrence J, Bow Wow, and Keisha Chanté. The cultural award show didn’t shy away from evoking a wave of childhood memories by recreating the program’s live audience set design. The tribute showcased performances by Amerie, Mýa, Keyshia Cole, B2K, and Bow Wow, among other artists who took the stage to perform some of their biggest hits.
Doechii Addresses L.A. ICE Protests In Acceptance Speech
2025 has been a significant year for Tampa-raised rapper Doechii. She won the Best Female Hip-Hop Award at the BET Awards, that being her first BET Award. However, the 26-year-old used her platform to spread awareness about the ongoing ICE raids occurring in Los Angeles. In her speech, the rapper stated, “There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order.” The “DENIAL IS A RIVER” star directly criticized Trump, voicing, “And I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.” She concluded her speech by expressing, “I feel it is my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people.”
Ravyn Lenae Performs Hit Single, “Love Me Not”
Rising artist Ravyn Lenae performed her chart-topping hit single “Love Me Not” at the 2025 BET Awards. Although the song was released in 2024, it gained significant traction on TikTok following a user-generated mash-up of Lenae’s single intermixed with Solange’s “Losing You” in early 2025. “Love Me Not” is currently placed at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has achieved over 230 million streams on Spotify. The song is featured on Lenae’s sophomore album, Bird’s Eye.
GloRilla Cooks with Keyshia Cole on “Typa”
Memphis native GloRilla stunned audiences with her performance of “LET HER COOK,” channeling the vibes of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” GloRilla then brought out Keyshia Cole to perform Cole’s 2005 hit, “Love,” in collaboration with the rapper’s newly released song, “Typa.” The “Typa” music video was released on Friday, June 6. After her on-stage performance, GloRilla won the Best Gospel/Inspirational Artist Award for her song “RAIN DOWN ON ME,” featuring Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music, Kierra Sheard, and Chandler Moore. The win was the “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” rapper’s first Gospel award, following her nominations in various hip-hop categories.