Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET
Last night at the 2021 BET Awards, Queen Latifah accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award which coincided with the show’s theme of "Year of the Black Woman." Queen Latifah, who was born Dana Owens, was honored for her multifaceted career and talent in music, acting, and philanthropy.
Queen Latifah’s ceremony began with a video tribute with cameos from Rapsody, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mary J. Blige, Lee Daniels, Megan Thee Stallion, and LL Cool J. The video payed homage to Queen Latifah and the doors she opened up in the hip hop world, especially for other female rappers. “Kicking down the door when she arrived on the music scene, her mission was to shake up hip hop culture and give a voice to the female perspective.” Watch the inspiring video tribute below:
After the video, Lil’ Kim, Monie Love, Rapsody, and MC Lyte performed a medley of “Just Another Day,” “Ladies First,” and “UNITY” to honor her. Watch the touching and incredible performance below:
After the performance, the amazing Queen Latifah took the stage and accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award. Her emotional speech thanked those who helped her along the way and made her incredible career possible.
“To my father. To my mother. Thank you so much, everyone. Thank you, my sisters - y'all my sisters in the name of rap. You always have been… I'm so extremely moved that I don't even know what to say. Let me just say that I want to thank God because God designed this whole thing to be this way.”
"There is no way that I could have had the parents that I was born to - my father, my mother, who is still so much in me - my family, I love you - my siblings. My best friends who ride or die with me whether my face is on the dirt or I'm flying in the skies - they know me. And they're there for me."
"I want to thank BET for creating an outlet for beautiful blackness to thrive, to shine. When we couldn't get played on the radio and other places; we couldn't get our videos played. There was BET, that allowed us to be in our fullness and to shine. To this night, right now, right here - bless everybody that graced this stage tonight and everyone in the audience for all your support. Be Black. Black is beautiful. I’ve always celebrated the woman because I was raised by a strong Black woman. Raised by a father who loved women. We can't live without each other. 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. So, respect to all the female MCs on the stage tonight!”
She then thanked all the members of her team and wrapped up by telling fans how much she appreciates their support of all aspects of her career, before sending a sweet message to her family.
"I'm gonna get off this stage, but I thank you so much for all of you, the fans for supporting every crazy-ass thing I've done through the years. And thank you for making Equalizer No. 1. Eboni, my love. Rebel, my love. Peace - Happy Pride!"
Congratulations to Queen Latifah for being celebrated after a lifetime of work, art, and achievement. Watch the Queen accept her award above and remember to follow Hip Hop Scriptures to stay up to date on the latest news in hip-hop.
