This was an incredible weekend, and we’ll have pictures over the next couple days. Saturday evening we went to the Warner Theatre for the taping of the BET Honors, and to see Kanye and Usher.
Honoree Kanye West gave a moving and surprisingly humble talk, saying if you have a legacy of slavery, even when you have a lot of money, you aren’t free. He talked about telling Louis Farrakhan he’d fallen in love with a woman who wasn’t black, and that he knew the stereotype was white women going after rich black men, but that before she met him, Kim had "dated broke black dudes."
Kanye brought Kim; Usher brought his mom and his fiancée. Also honored: Claire Huxtable AKA Phylicia Rashad, educator Johnetta Betsch Cole and Microsoft chairman John W. Thompson. Wayne Brady was a terrific emcee. The show airs Feb. 23.
Honoree Usher Raymond spoke movingly about growing up without a father, "except for his Heavenly father"; how his mother inspired him; how he knew from the time he was 10 what he wanted to do with his life; and how marriage had mellowed Kanye, and so he looked forward to being married. He’s on stage with presenters Bobby Brown and Ben Vereen.
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