June 29th, 2011 
The BET Awards 2011 took place June 26 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, hosted by funny man Kevin Hart.
Starting off the show was Mary J. Blige performing hits off her 1994 album My Life. She rocked the stage as usual, and Ms. Anita Baker even made a cameo during the performance as well. Nothing like two superstars creating a memorable performance. Other performances during the awards ceremony included: DJ Khaled with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and Ace Hood performing “Hustle Hard” then “Bawse Gone Wild”; Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes “Look At Me Now”; Alicia Keys performing all her old and new hits with surprise cameos from Bruno Mars and Rick Ross; Big Sean featuring Chris Brown “My Last”; Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal performed classic 1985 song “Saturday Love”; Trey Songz sang “Love Faces”, then was joined by Kelly Rowland who brought sexy back performing “Motivation”; a gospel performance featuring Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary, and Deitrick Haddon singing “Thank You”; DJ Khalen [again] with Drake, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne performing “I’m On One”; and Beyonce closing out the night with a performance from Glastonbury [yes, she wasn't even there].
Chris Brown is all smiles as he takes home three trophies he was nominated for during the BET Awards.
The big winner of the night was Chris Brown who not only took home the first award of the night for Best Male R&B artist, but also snagged Best Collaboration with Weezy and Busta Rhymes for their hit “Look At Me Now” and Viewers Choice Award for the same song. Upon receiving the trophy he said, “All of my fans are everything to me. I do this only for them. I appreciate all the support. I know it’s been a long road, so I appreciate every blessing in front of me.” All together, he was nominated for six awards that night.
Nicki Minaj won the Best Female Hip-Hop Artist for the second year in a row. Upon accepting her award she was accompanied by her Young Money family Lil Wayne and Drake. She said, ”I can’t believe I won. No, no, no. Not like that… Let me tell you something, I love my team Young Money/Cash Money. This man (Weezy) right here – last year when I won [Best Female Hip-Hop Artist], he was on Rikers Island. So when I said I can’t believe I won, I mean that I can’t believe for the first time I get to share a moment like this with the person who saw me rapping on the staircase.” If you weren’t aware, Lil Wayne was locked up in prison around the same time last year.
Patti LaBelle is honored with BET's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Steve Harvey was honored with the Lifetime Humanitarian Award stating, “Without God, I would be nothing,” and Patti LaBelle honored with the Lifetime Achievement Awards received a special tribute. Her friend Gladys Knight introduced performers Cee-Lo Green, Marsha Ambrosius, and Paster Shirley Caesar who sang their hearts out honoring the Queen of R&B. LaBelle thanked everyone saying, “Fifty years and I am still counting. Thank God that I’m still standing.” BET also gave a tribute to the artists that passed away this past year including Nate Dogg, M-Bone from Cali Swag District, Clarence Clemons, Teena Marie, and Gil Scott-Heron.
For a complete list of the winners, check out this link: http://www.chiff.com/pop-culture/bet-awards.htm
