Mary J. Blige has been known as the Queen of Hip Hop Soul, and is currently celebrating 30 years since beginning her career with signing to Uptown Records in 1989. After accepting her BET Lifetime Achievement Award, the legendary songstress gave a performance of a lifetime at the 2019 BET Awards.
Blige’s performance began with a prerecorded intro from longtime friend and collaborator Sean “Diddy” Combs, and she proceeded to join a live band and take viewers on a trip down memory lane with a string of hits from her three-decade run. “My Life,” “No More Drama,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” “Be Happy,” “Just Fine,” and “Family Affair” were all among the smashes that she ran through, wearing multiple all-white ensembles and joining a crew of dancers for choreographed moves.
But she also flexed her star power, bringing out other legends alongside her. The Queen Bee Lil Kim joined Mary for a performance of their iconic song “I Can Love You,” before Method Man took the stage to accompany Mary for their hit “You’re All I Need To Get By.”
Watch Mary’s performance above as well as her acceptance speech for BET’s Icon Award, presented by Rihanna, down below.
.@maryjblige & @lilkim take us back with “I Can Love You” 🔥 #BETAwards pic.twitter.com/0nDdKdYcM7
— BET (@BET) June 24, 2019
