LOS ANGELES (CNS) - After a socially distanced ceremony in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BET Awards will return to a live ceremony Sunday evening at the Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles, with rappers Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby leading the pack with seven nominations each.
The ceremony will also include a tribute to rapper DMX, who died April 9 at the age of 50 following a heart attack. The tribute will include Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Griselda and Michael K. Williams.
Actress Taraji P. Henson will host Sunday's show, and musician and actress Queen Latifah will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement BET Award.
"For more than 20 years, the BET Awards have been a celebration of Black creativity, art and excellence," Henson said. "Returning live, this year's show will be unlike anything we have ever seen before, and I am honored to be sharing the stage with so many powerful and prolific women in music and entertainment. The BET Awards will once again be at the forefront of Black culture."
Other leading nominees include Cardi B and Drake with five each.
Performing on the show will be Andra Day, City Girls, DaBaby, DJ Khaled, Griselda, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Just Blaze, Kirk Franklin, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Mereba, Migos, Moneybagg Yo!, Rapsody, Roddy Ricch and Tone Stith.
Last year's BET Awards were a critical success that highlighted the Black Lives Matter movement, civil rights and the lives of those lost because of police officers.
The 21st annual BET Awards will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on BET. It will also air live at 5 p.m. on BET Her, Logo, MTV, MTV2, TV Land and VH1.
