What else would you expect from an artist who refers to herself as “a leader, a queen, a living legend?”
That’s just what Mary J. Blige did in her speech when she received the lifetime achievement award at Sunday’s BET Awards.
Blige backed her words up by giving one hell of a performance.
The Grammy-winning singer offered up a medley of her hits, including her 1990s singles like “Real Love” and “You Remind Me,” which had the audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on their feet dancing and singing along.
Oh, and Blige, 48, threw it back to her original look as she rocked it in some white short shorts, backwards baseball cap and thigh high boots as she did her trademark two step dance.
Rapper Lil Kim and Method Man also thrilled the crowd when they showed up to spit their verses from Blige’s hits “I Can Love You” and “You’re All I Need” respectively.
The “Queen of R&B Soul” was presented the lifetime achievement award by Rihanna, who thanked her for her influence in the music industry — particularly among black female artists.
“Mary J. Blige you have set the bar for relatable, timeless, classic music,” Rihanna said. “You opened multiple doors for female artists in this industry. And on behalf of all the women that came after you like myself, thank you for being comfortable being you so we could be comfortable being ourselves.”
