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The 5 Best BET Award Shows Acceptance Speeches

These speeches got the crowd going.

Acceptance speeches get overlooked far too often when reflecting on the highlights of award shows.

There’s something about witnessing people win. Whether it’s athletes drowning themselves in champagne or an emotional collapse after an 8th grader wins a spelling bee, there are always gems to be taken away. 

Acceptance speeches can vary in length. Just ask R&B singer Summer Walker who, at the 2019 BET Soul Train Awards, set a record for the fastest award speech after winning Best New Artist. 

RELATED:  Summer Walker Had The Quickest Acceptance Speech Ever At The 2019 Soul Train Awards

Award acceptances can also be galvanizing. Actor/activist Jesse Williams’s acceptance speech for the Humanitarian Award at the 2016 BET Awards received an overwhelming standing ovation as he defended the right to resist and condemned police brutality. 

With the BET Hip Hop Awards 2021 arriving soon, here’s a look at four award speeches across the various BET award shows over the past year.

  1. Master P Gives Emotional Acceptance Speech

    It’s dope seeing icons get their flowers while they can still smell them and last year’s BET Hip Hop Awards was able to do that for rap mogul Master P, who broke down upon being recognized for his contributions to the Black community and to music last year. 

  2. Megan Thee Stallion 2021 BET Awards

    Megan Thee Stallion’s reign in hip hop has been one to behold since she stepped onto the scene in 2016. 

    She’s been dominating the charts all year and serving some of the best freestyles and videos of any artists you’ll find out today. 

    It was fitting that the Houston native took home "Best Female Hip Hop Artist" for the 2021 BET Awards. 

    Fresh off performing her hit “Thot Shit”, the artist accepted the award and proceeded to give an emotional speech, thanking her peers and those who helped her get where she’s gotten today. 

    “Thank you Cardi for even putting me on “WAP” because it feels so good to be acknowledged by one of my peers who I think so highly of,” Tina Snow said. 

  3. Queen Latifah Accepts BET Lifetime Achievement Award

    There’s Queen B, but you can never forget about Queen Latifah

    This year at the BET Awards, the “Ladies First'' emcee was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, sharing the stage with Rapsody, Monie Love, Lil’ Kim, and MC Lyte who performed a special tribute to the rap icon. 

    “Y’all my sistas in the name of rap,” Queen Latifah called her fellow artists. “I wanted to celebrate us because I know together, we stand stronger than when we tear each other apart. And I’ve seen enough of that.”

  4. Beyoncé Accepts BET 2020 Humanitarian Award

    Beyoncé always manages to stay relevant, whether she’s putting out music or not and her appearance at the 2020 BET Awards to accept the 2020 Humanitarian honor is further proof.

    Besides knocking everyone’s socks clearly off with her gorgeous ensemble, the Houston native was introduced by none other than former first lady Michelle Obama.

  5. Jazmine Sullivan’s Win For The 2021 BET Awards Album of The Year

    Jazmine Sullivan makes the list not only because her album, Heaux Tales, was well deserving for Album Of The Year, but because her speech gave a little insight into her life and what she’s passionate about. 

    Sullivan began the speech by giving thanks to God and honoring her mother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. “We didn’t see any of this happening, but God has been so faithful to us,” she said. 

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