KIRK FRANKLIN

Sean “Diddy” Combs spoke about his own dream like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. while accepting the highest honor at the BET Awards.

Netflix could be a dominant force at next month’s 53rd NAACP Image Awards.

Elevation Worship, a worship group from North Carolina, and singer-songwriter Brandon Lake are each nominated for seven awards at the Gospel Music Association's Dove Awards.

2021 BET Awards - Show Host Taraji P. Henson speaks at the BET Awards on Sunday, June 27, 2021, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Chris Pizzello)NEW YORK — (AP) — Rapper Lil Baby and gospel performer Kirk Franklin joined forces to kick off the BET Awards with a performance that got Issa Rae, Queen Latifah, DJ Khaled and Zendaya bouncing in their seats. The show is being hosted by actor Taraji P. Henson, who said the BET Awards will celebrate “the year of the Black women." The event will include more epic performers, including Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Nas X, H.E.R., DaBaby, DJ Khaled, Jazmine Sullivan and Migos. Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby, former collaborators who recently traded words online, are the top contenders with seven nominations each.

Cardi B’s “WAP” had new meaning at the BET Awards: winning and pregnant.

Artists including Chloe x Halle, Black Thought of the Roots and H.

Morton is the first artist in residence at a historically Black private university in New Orleans. Dillard University announced that Morton will teach master classes in songwriting, music publishing, studio production and talent management during the 2021-22 academic year. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)NEW ORLEANS – Grammy-winning musician PJ Morton is the first artist in residence at Dillard University, a historically Black private university in New Orleans. “I’m so excited to be partnering with Dillard University. His most recent project, “Gospel According to PJ,” is a Grammy nominee for this year’s best gospel album.

FILE - This Oct. 16, 2018 file photo shows Zach Williams performing during the Dove Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Christian artists Zach Williams and for King & Country are the leading artist nominees at the 2020 Dove Awards, while rapper Kanye West and singer Gloria Gaynor earned their first ever nominations. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. Christian artists Zach Williams and for King & Country are the leading artist nominees at this years Dove Awards, while rapper Kanye West and singer Gloria Gaynor earned their first ever nominations. The Gospel Music Association announced on Thursday the nominations this years show, which will be aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network on Oct. 30. Williams earned five nominations including artist of the year and song of the year. For King & Country, a brother duo made up of Luke and Joel Smallbone, also earned five nods including artist of the year and contemporary Christian artist of the year.

The three-hour show will be jam-packed with heavy hitters currently dominating the pop charts and streaming services, including DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Kane Brown and Chloe x Halle. The three-hour show will be jam-packed with heavy hitters currently dominating the pop charts and streaming services, including DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, Summer Walker, Kane Brown and Chloe x Halle. Comedian, actress and TV personality Amanda Seales will host the 2020 BET Awards, which will air on CBS for the first time. Drake is the leading nominee: Hes up for six honors, including video of the year and best male hip-hop artist. Ricch and Megan Thee Stallion follow Drake with five nominations each.

John Legend performs during a tribute in honor of the late Nipsey Hussle at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

John Legend performs during a tribute in honor of the late Nipsey Hussle at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)NEW YORK, N.Y. – John Legend, Meek Mill, DJ Khaled and a host of musicians paid tribute to Nipsey Hussle at the Grammy Awards, filling the vast stage with a soaring performance of his music. “Real hitters never die.”Then DJ Khaled and Legend sang their collaboration with Hussle, DJ Khaled’s track “Higher,” which later won the Grammy for best rap/sung performance. “Rest in peace, Nipsey Hussle,” DJ Khaled said at the end of the performance. Ava DuVernay introduced the Grammy performance by saying Hussle “made brave, brilliant strides in his community.”Earlier, before the telecast, Hussle became a Grammy Award winner the first time.

Host Alicia Keys speaks at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Los Angeles. “We are standing her literally heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed in the crash on a steep hillside in dense morning fog in Southern California. Music artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Rick Ross and Kirk Franklin paid tribute to Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star and five-time champion. Long live Kobe Bryant. “If you’re from Los Angeles, depending on which sector you’re in, that (expletive) is really heavy," the rapper continued.