The 2016 BET Awards Honors Prince With A Wave Of All-Star Tributes

A couple of months back, the good folks at the BET Awards promised the people they’d put on a Prince tribute to remember. And by that, they meant several tributes that did not disappoint.

A few artists helped us journey through the beloved artist’s timeless catalogue.

Erykah Badu was first up with a sultry rendition of Prince’s “Dorothy Parker,” with the instrumental assistance from Philly’s own The Roots.

Soul singer Bilal followed up, and his slithering vocals and sexy falsetto were perfectly fit to cover Prince’s memorable smash hit “The Beautiful Ones.” Dressed in a sleeveless tuxedo shirt and black slacks, Bilal transformed into the ultimate panty dropper as he made love to the stage, belting out each and every note with perfect pitch. It’s hard to evoke the same sex appeal as Prince, but Bilal channeled “The Purple One” like no other.

Stevie Wonder and up-and-coming singer Tori Kelly dedicated their portion of the tribute to Prince’s “Take Me With U.” Shortly after, Jennifer Hudson joined the staged in a white hooded dress to tale the cherished classic “Purple Rain” to new vocal heights.

The crowd was overcome with emotion and notstalgia as J Hud took us to church with her awe-inspiring voice.

And alas, what’s a Prince tribute without the ever classy and soulful Maxwell?

Putting his own unique spin on “Nothing Compares To U,” the Grammy-winning singer dedicated Prince’s own penmanship back to him, remixing the lyrics to paint the vivid picture of the world we now live in without the music of our Purple One.

Everyone’s favorite Electric Lady Janelle Monáe lit up the stage with her high energy rendition of “Kiss.” Decked in an all white ruffled outfit with ass-less chaps (someone had to to do it), Monáe then transitioned to “Pop Life” and “I Would Die 4 U,” making it her mission to let the world know just how much Prince meant to her.

Finally and appropriately, Sheila E. closed out the series of Prince tributes, and it was a full-out party honoring the legend and her dear friend. The performance was full of spectacular drums (duh), live arrangements, dancers, and fun. Prince’s ex-wife and former backup dancer, Mayte Garcia, also appeared as one of the backup dancers. Did you catch that leg slide?

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