BET Awards announce star-studded musical tribute to Prince
Since his sudden, premature death at the end of April, tributes to Prince have been pouring in, from the ridiculous (Madonna at the Billboard Music Awards) to the sublime (the impromptu dance parties in Brooklyn and Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis). Now, on the day that fans worldwide—and the governor of Minnesota—have declared “Prince Day” in honor of the late musician’s birthday, another televised tribute has been announced, and it sounds like a good one.
According to a press release, BET is planning an elaborate tribute to the Purple One for its 2016 BET Awards, one that will feature a number of performances spread across the show to “capture the unprecedented career and musical genius of the beloved pop icon like only BET can.” (BET and Prince go way back: He performed on the awards show in 2006, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the organization in 2010.)
Now, this newest, posthumous tribute will include performances from Prince protégés Sheila E. and Janelle Monae, as well as The Roots and D’Angelo, both of which name Prince as influences on their work. The press release refers to this lineup as the “first wave,” so more are presumably to come—we hear The Revolution is back together, so maybe they’ll make an appearance?
The BET Awards will take place on Sunday, June 26 in Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live on BET that night.