2008 BET Awards Performances Fail to Disappoint

The 2008 BET Awards is known more for its knockout live performances than its award winners. The show wasn't short of that, but some were more deserving of note than others.

The best entertainment Tuesday night was provided by the rap artists. Young Jeezy made the crowd jump to its feet early in the program after Usher's more polished, but less enthusiastic "Love In this Club" to open the show. The BET Awards would have been served better to reverse the performers spots in the program.

In fact, it seemed the torch for the rhythm and blues male heartthrob role was passed Tuesday night from Usher to Chris Brown, who received plenty of swoons from the female members of the audience during his racy song and dance performance.

T-Pain, whose name was heard often in the winner's circle, was part of a high energy, show-stopping performance that also featured Flo Rida, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Big Boi and Ludacris. Top-selling artist Lil Wayne, who walked off with the Viewer's Choice Award, joined T-Pain to close out the show in a spirited ending set.

While Nelly and Fergie's performance later in show wasn't on the same par as other rap artists, it still generated plenty another high-volume sparks.

Some artists like Rihanna, Keyshia Cole and Ne-Yo were very good, but simply lacked the energy of Brown, T-Pain and his posse.

The awards show isn't known for its moving moments but it came pretty close when UGK, from tiny Port Arthur, Texas, and Outkast won the Best Video Award for the "International Players Anthem." Bernard "Bun B" Freeman was clearly moved, remembering his partner Chris "Pimp C" Butler, who died last year from an accidental overdose from prescription cough medicine in Los Angeles, according to MTV.com.

Butler's wife joined the group onstage to accept the award and express their feelings for Pimp C, which still seemed fresh for them.

As if on cue, the next artist, Rev. Marvin Sapp and his choir lifted the crowd with "I Never Would Have Made It." Sapp went on to win the Best Gospel Artist Award.

Another moving movement was Alicia Keys' tribute to girl bands as she took the spot of the late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes as the group TLC took the stage. TLC, one of the best-selling female groups of all times, was rocked in 2002 when Lopes lost her life in an automobile accident in Honduras, according to CNN.

Keys' vocals seemed to lift the spirits of Rozonda "Chili" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins as they joined in a rendition of the hit "Waterfalls."

The legendary Al Green was given the Lifetime Achievement Award. With Jill Scott and others honoring Green by singing some of his biggest hits, Green showed that no one does his music better than Green himself, taking the stage for several numbers, including "Let's Stay Together" and "Love and Happiness."

The only time the show seemed to go silent was when Quincy Jones, who was awarded the much-deserved Humanitarian Award, handed out some life advice to his young audience. The silence was a sign of respect for multi-Grammy Award veteran who had his first hit before many of them were born.

It was that mixture of young and old that made this year's BET Awards worth watching.