-New Urban Media- Video Highlights from the 2018 BET AWARDS: Black Panther Wins, Nigeria Takes Best International Act, and "Songstress" Anita Baker Awarded for Lifetime Achievement in Music

"The Songstress" of R&B, Anita Baker, accepting the honor for Lifetime Achievement at the 2018 BET AWARDS

The 18th BET Awards was held this week at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, with comedian, singer, and Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx bringing the funny as host for the ceremony. Celebrating achievements in entertainment, and honors in music, sports, television, and movies, the evening included presenters Kevin Hart, LL Cool J., "Nobody's Fool" director Tyler Perry, "The Have & The Have Nots" star Tika Sumpter, "The Hunger Games" star Amandla Stenberg, and Regina Hall, among others.

Big winners of the evening were as follows: 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kendrick Lamar (Album of the Year: DAMN); Drake (VIDEO OF THE YEAR: "God's Plan"); Beyoncé (BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST); Bruno Mars (BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST), and Lecrae ft. Tori Kelly for the gospel song "I'll Find You" ( winning DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL AWARD). Best International Act was awarded to Nigeria for music artist Davido.

Non-musical awards were presented to Ava DuVernay (BEST DIRECTOR), Tiffany Haddish (BEST ACTRESS),  Chadwick Boseman (BEST ACTOR)  "Black Panther" (BEST FILM); Serena Williams (Best Sportswoman) and Basketball star Lebron James (BEST SPORTSMAN). 

Special awards of the evening included the BET "H.E.R" Award given to Mary J. Blige.  For this year's "HUMANITARIAN AWARD" presentation there was a different feeling in the air as the honor was given to not one, bull all nominees in the category, and rather than honor the philanthropic efforts of a celebrity or veteran public figure, Black Entertainment Television selected private citizens instead, individuals lauded as "HUMANITARIAN HEROES"  for extraordinary acts of bravery and resilience over the past year in stories that made international headlines.  A snippet of the honors segment as presented by singer/activist/film producer John Legend:

BET's 2018 HUMANITARIAN HEROES honors were presented to 15-year-old Anthony Borges, a Stoneman Douglass High School mass shooting survivor who used his body as a human shield to protect 20 other students- taking five bullets and suffering wounds to the lungs, abdomen, and legs; Naomi Wadler, the youngest activist to speak at the March For Our Lives-  the massive, 800,000 strong student march on Washington DC to end gun violence.  Eleven-year-old  Wadler addressed how young black girls are disproportionately affected by gun violence; Justin Blackman, the sole student in his North Carolina high school to participate the country's national walkout against gun violence; Mamoudou Gassama- a Malian immigrant in France recently awarded the French Honor Medal of Courage and Devotion - for saving the life of a 4-year-old child hanging from a balcony;  and James Shaw Jr., the man who wrestled a rifle away from a gunman committing a mass shooting in an Antioch, Tennessee Waffle House which left for dead and four wounded before Shawn tackled him.  

The main musical highlight of this year's ceremony was the presentation of BET's Lifetime Achievement Award for R&B singer/composer Anita Baker, who is currently wowing audiences on a farewell concert tour before settling into the coming retirement she announced earlier this year.  The Ohio born musician began her solo singing career in 1983 with the album, "Songstress", and for the BET segment in her honor, was serenaded by  Jamie Foxx- followed by vocalists Yolanda Adams, Ledisi, and Marsha Ambrosius.

You can check out more musical highlights of the evening below: