*BET apologized after sound issues at the 2024 BET Awards prevented Usher’s Lifetime Achievement Award speech from being aired.
“Celebrating global icon Usher on our stage with a star-studded tribute and having him accept his award with a heartfelt speech was an honor,” the network said in a statement, ET reports. “Due to an audio malfunction during the LIVE telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted.”
The statement continued, “We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in Culture’s Biggest Night. Fans can catch his full uninterrupted speech across BET platforms and tonight’s encore on BET.”
Music legends Babyface and LA Reid presented Usher with the prestigious award on June 30. As ET reports, the honor included a 16-minute performance featuring Childish Gambino, Keke Palmer, Summer Walker, Coco Jones, Marsha Ambrosius, Chloe Bailey, Tinashe, Victoria Monét, Teyana Taylor, and Latto.
When the R&B crooner was about to speak, the audio cut out entirely for several minutes. PEOPLE reports that during his acceptance speech, Usher reflected on sharing the same name as his father, who abandoned him as a child.
Scroll to continue reading
It was an honor to present @Usher with the @BET Lifetime Achievement Award tonight ? It was an even bigger honor to stand up there as LaFace who found Usher at 14 years old. Its been a journey and to see it come full circle tonight was a beautiful thing ♥️ @BETAwards pic.twitter.com/5p8hKnAB3b
— Babyface (@babyface) July 1, 2024
“I was trying to make sense of this name that a man gave me but didn’t stick around because he didn’t love me,” Usher stated, per ET. “Or at least that was my perception of it because I had to live long enough in order to understand that you have to have a forgiving heart in order to understand the true pitfalls and hardships of a Black man in America.”
The superstar continued, “My father was a product of that. He made a lot of decisions. He made a lot of choices, and one that probably hurt and helped me at the same time was to stay away. That’s part of the reason why I say this is the year of the father, where all the fathers have got to stand up for their sons and daughters and be the man that they need to be for them.”
Usher added, “You’ve got to be willing to forgive, y’all. He who knows no sin cast the first stone. You’ve got to be willing to forgive. Got to be willing to be open,” he shared. “I’m telling you, you’re standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up ever. And look what I made with it! Look what I was able to usher in. That’s what’s real. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us men and women. I thank you all.”
“I was trying to make sense of this name that a man gave me that didn’t stick around because he didn’t love — or at least that was my perception of it.”
Watch Usher’s full acceptance speech in the YouTube clip below.
READ MORE FROM EURWEB.COM: BET Awards 2024 Winners, Usher Accepts BET Lifetime Achievement Award
