The BET Awards celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, Busta Rhymes, and veterans like Takeoff and Turner.

(AP) LOS ANGELES The 2023 BET Awards honored the genre's founding figures, late luminaries, and up-and-comers as part of a program filled with breathtaking performances that continually had a party vibe.

The performance of "Bad and Boujee" by Quavo and Offset, the remaining members of the Migos, in front of a picture of Takeoff, who was killed in a shooting in December, was Sunday's biggest surprise.

Near the start of their performance, the duo yelled, "BET, do it for Take," as their backdrop changed from an image of a space shuttle to an image of Takeoff pointing upward.

Performers and emcee Kid Capri paid tribute to deceased hip-hop artists all throughout the event, whether it was Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Biz Markie, or Pop Smoke. Frequently, they did this by briefly highlighting some of their most well-known songs. Capri and BET maintained the focus on the music at a ceremony when few prizes were handed.

The greatest award of the evening, the Lifetime Achievement Award, was given to Busta Rhymes by Swizz Beatz. With seven Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 successes to his credit, the 12-time Grammy Award-nominated rapper, producer, and pioneering hip-hop figure is recognized as one of the greatest MCs.

A video homage to Rhymes was made by Diddy, Janet Jackson, Chuck D, Missy Elliot, Pharrell Williams, and Mariah Carey.

I'll wear it on my sleeve, all right. I do want to weep," Rhymes said as his eyes began to well up. He spoke about his six kids, being expelled from his hip-hop group Leaders of the New School, and how he rebuilt his career by walking into recording studios, smoking a cigar with whoever else was there, and "quickly whipping up a 16 bar verse." … I naturally invented the feature," he declared. "Much of our people's magnificence in our culture occurs by accident. We only have magic, after all.

Following was an upbeat tribute to Rhymes in which the MC collaborated with Spliff Star on the songs "Ante Up Remix," "Scenario," "Look At Me Now," and "I Know What You Want." A-list celebrities then joined in, including Scar Lip with "This Is New York," Coi Leray with "Players," and BIA with "Beach Ball." Rhymes changed gears halfway through the performance to honor dancehall with Dexta Daps' "Shabba Madda Pot," Spice's "So Mi Like It," Skillibeng's "Whap Whap," and CuttyRanks' "A Who Seh Me Dun (Wait Deh Man)," among others.

Old school hip-hop icons and contemporary singers sang songs honoring the most innovative and influential cities in rap throughout the performance. Trick Daddy and Trina rocked "Nann" for Miami, while Uncle Luke performed "I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo Brown)." Jeezy destroyed "They Know" for Atlanta, T.I. nailed "24's," and Master P morphed "No Limit Soldiers" into "Make 'Em Say Ugh." As for the reggae effect on hip-hop, Jamaican artists Doug E. Fresh and Lil' 'Vicious performed "Freaks" a cappella, Mad Lion sang "Take It Easy," while PATRA nailed "Romantic Call."

To tease a crash course in West Coast rap, Capri played portions of Tupac's "Hail Marry" along with Warren G's "Regulate," Yo-Yo's "You Can't Play With My Yo-Yo," Tyga's "Rack City," and E-40's "Tell Me When To Go."

An homage to trap music began with Capri spinning "Dior" by the late Pop Smoke, followed by stellar performances from Chief Keef and the Ying Yang Twins on "Faneto" and "Wait (The Whisper Song)"

While Capri and MC Lyte keep the hostless concert moving, audience members danced, sang along, and in some cases, stepped up on stage. With the exception of a mishap during Patti LaBelle's performance, the evening went off without a hitch, which was especially impressive considering it was scheduled during the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike.

LaBelle gave a tribute rendition of Tina Turner's classic song "The Best," admitting to the crowd at one point that she was having trouble reading the lyrics. She said, "I'm trying, y'all!" before launching into the chorus.

The Los Angeles Microsoft Theater performance began with a mask-wearing Lil Uzi Vert, who then launched into a brief history lesson. In an ode to the late great Biz Markie, Capri led the audience through a medley of songs from the early '80s New York City rap scene, including The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," MC LYTE's "Cha Cha Cha," D-NICE's "Call ME D-Nice," and Big Daddy Kane's "Raw," before performing a portion of "Just A Friend."

Big Daddy Kane said before the song, "If it weren't for one individual, I wouldn't be in this profession on stage today. Saying "Rest in peace." He asked the audience to join in on the catchy chorus of the song.

In a category with solely female artists, Coco Jones won the coveted best new artist award.

In her victory speech, she remarked, "For all of my black sisters, we do have to battle a little harder to obtain what we deserve. "But even when it doesn't make sense, keep battling. And you're unsure of how you're going to escape those situations. Keep working hard because we deserve wonderful things.

The AP's choice for club song of the summer, Latto's "Put It On Da Floor Again," was then performed, minus featured artist Cardi B, but no less infectious, in a supermarket-themed performance. "RIP Shawty Lo," a screen read as it came to a close.

Nikki Taylor, who is a true matriarch, interrupted the ceremony to videocall her daughter and let her enjoy the moment when Teyana "Spike Tey" Taylor won video director of the year.

At the conclusion of his acceptance speech, Rhymes called on the hip-hop scene to "stop this narrative that we don't love each other," imploring both established artists and up-and-coming ones to embrace one another.

Ice Spice, a rapper from New York, performed shortened versions of "Munch (Feeling U)," "Princess Diana," and "In Ha Mood," while Glorilla sang "Lick Or Sum" on the BET stage and Kali performed her TikTok smash "Area Codes."

Hip-hop powerhouses from previous generations cheered in the audience.