BET awards: Beyoncé, Pharrell and Nicki Minaj win as Chris Rock presides

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/jun/30/bet-awards-beyonce-pharrell-chris-rock-winners

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Pharrell's Happy is keeping a smile on the musician's face: the song won video of the year Sunday at the BET Awards, the top prize in a show marking the best in black entertainment.

His win came in the second hour of the three-hour-plus ceremony that featured performances by Pharrell as well as Lil Wayne and Usher. Last year, the network didn't announce the top award in the jam-packed show.

Pharrell thanked his family, fans who elevated the song to No1 and BET for its support.

"[BET] allows us as black people to be different and do what we do," he told the crowd. "You guys keep the lights on for us."

Pharrell, who also won best male R&B/pop artist, kicked off the show with a playful performance of Come Get It Bae, featuring the reclusive Missy Elliott.

Host Chris Rock also succeeded with back-to-back jokes, helping take attention away from a fatal shooting and a separate stabbing at unsanctioned parties celebrating the ceremony.

One person was killed and five injured in separate incidents ahead of the show at the Nokia Theatre LA Live, Los Angeles police said. The events were "unauthorized and unaffiliated with the BET Awards", BET said in a statement.

The death and four of the injuries followed gunfire early Sunday at a restaurant, officer Drake Madison said. Separately, a man was stabbed in the stomach Saturday night at a nightclub.

Rock didn't mention the violence. He won over the audience with jokes about Donald Sterling, and rapper Rick Ross. Of the 83-year-old Sterling, Rock said, "The first black man he ever met, he got for Christmas."

Rock teased the east-west coast rap rivalry, saying the west won because Dr Dre sold his Beats brand to Apple for $3bn earlier this year. Everyone wants to get into the headphone business now, Rock said. "Dre has Beats," the comedian said. "Rick Ross has Dia-Beats." He called the BET Awards the "black World Cup".

The show featured a medley of hits from Usher and a performance by Chris Brown, who recently was released from jail. Brown sang and danced his signature moves to his latest Top 10 hit, Loyal.

As Rock introduced Brown, he said"He just signed a new deal. Too bad it was a plea deal."

John Legend sang his groove You and I and was joined by rising newcomer Jhene Aiko, who won over the crowd by singing The Worst as Legend played piano.

As the show kicked off, a tearful August Alsina, nominated for four honors, won the night's first award for best new artist.

"I represent the struggle," the New Orleans newcomer said onstage. "This award is not for me, it's for the people."

Drake, Beyoncé and Jay Z were top nominees with five each. Drake, who was originally set to perform, did not attend, BET said Sunday. He won best male hip-hop artist.

A representative for Beyonce also said the singer wouldn't attend, and her husband's rep wouldn't divulge if Jay Z would be there or not. Their attendance had nothing to do with the violence at the weekend parties.

Beyoncé and Jay Z launched a co-headlining stadium tour days ago. She is nominated for best female R&B/pop artist, with little competition aside from Rihanna.

Other performers who sang Sunday included Mary J Blige and Robin Thicke, who is set to release his new album Paula – an ode to his wife, who separated from him – on Tuesday.

Accepting her fifth consecutive award for female hip-hop artist, Nicki Minaj gave a rambling speech in which she said she was recently near death.

"The other day, literally I didn't tell anybody this, I really thought I was about to die. Like, I was saying my prayers to die. And I didn't even want to call the ambulance because I thought, 'Well if I call the ambulance, it's going to be on TMZ,'" Minaj said, as some of the audience laughed.

"And I would rather sit there and die," she added, looking to the crowd. "And it made me realize I don't care what anybody got to say. I'm going to do me."

Lil Wayne accompanied Minaj to the stage to accept her award, just as she joined him and dozens of others onstage to accept the best group award for Young Money. At the conclusion of that acceptance speech, which featured an appearance by Wayne's daughter, he didn't just drop the mike, but the whole microphone stand.

Lionel Richie's lifetime achievement award was celebrated with music. The 65-year-old singer-songwriter performed two of his classic hits: the Commodores' Easy and his '80s party anthem All Night Long (All Night), before being feted by other artists.

Backstage, Richie called the honor "magical". "If you are lucky enough in this business to have years of songs, as opposed to a couple of songs, [it's] something to be proud of," he said.

Lupita Nyong'o, who won an Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, was named best actress.