Washington, D.C. - BET Honors Recap

On January 14, 2012, I had the distinct pleasure of attending the 5th Annual BET Honors at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC.  Gabrielle Union hosted the show for the fourth time, and the show overall was a remarkable one.  This was my first time attending the event, but I couldn't have gotten the opportunity during a better year.  Among this year's honorees were the Tuskegee Airmen, Maya Angelou, Spike Lee, Beverly Kearney, Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder.  The production was put together and executed very well, and the tributes were fantastic.  I'm honored to have had the opportunity to see Stevie Wonder, Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin perform live.  I thoroughly enjoyed each of their performances.  Another highlight for me was Beverly Kearney's tribute.  Although I'd heard of her, I never knew her story and she gave such a great moving acceptance speech.  One of the biggest moments of the evening, of course, was First Lady Michelle Obama, who was in attendance to honor and present Maya Angelou with her award.  As far as performances go, Stevie Wonder, Kelly Rowland and Luke James (one of Def Jam's newest artists) were my favorites of the night.  This is an event that I definitely look forward to attending many more times in the future. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Michael Hamilton is a GRAMMY U member and former D.C. Chapter Office Intern. He is a telecommunications management student at Howard University.