Canadian artist The Weeknd (born Abel Tesfaye) got quite the surprise when he was joined by R&B superstar Alicia Keys during his debut BET Awards’ performance of his hit track “Earned It.” It was an amazing night for the homegrown icon, despite losing for Best Male R&B Pop Artist to Chris Brown (Beyonce and Nicki Minaj also took home a few trophies).
“Earned It,” which hit number three on the Billboard charts, is also featured on the soundtrack for 50 Shades of Grey.
Beyonce, although absent from the event, won three BET Awards, and Brown along with Minaj took home several apiece. Janet Jackson, who is currently gearing up for a new album and world tour (the first in a long time, and it includes a number of Canadian dates), was given the Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual Award.
Artists like Kendrick Lamar and Janelle Monae as well as Brown took to the stage to perform their hit tracks during the live televised event. And, in ode to Bad Boy Records’ 20th anniversary, Lil Kim, Mase, Faith Evans, 112 and The Lox joined Diddy on stage for a “mixed tape” of the artists’ previous hits.
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