Generations of musical talent united to amplify the legacy of Ms. Lauryn Hill at the 2026 BET Awards. As the veteran artist was honored with this year’s first-ever Living Legend Icon award, her peers, collaborators, children, and the women in Hip-Hop and R&B inspired by Hill took the stage for a touching tribute performance of her fan-favorite songs.

Introduced by Ice Cube, a video montage narrated by Wyclef Jean highlighted the genius of the Grammy winner, showcasing her decades of achievement. The musical portion then kicked off with Husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, known together as The War And Treaty, with a vocally stunning performance of “Joyful Joyful.” Notably, the gospel song was performed by Hill and Tanya Trotter together as teenagers in their roles in Sister Act II (1993). 

The duo was then joined by SZA and Doechii, who embodied The Fugees with a performance of “Ready or Not.”  SZA passed the baton to Tierra Whack and Tems for The Fugees’ “Fu-Gee-La,” not missing a beat. Her daughter, Selah Marley, then graced the stage as Lauryn Hill became overwhelmed with emotion for a moving cover of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill‘s title track.

Next up, Doja Cat paid homage to the dual singing/rapping talents of Ms. Hill with  “Superstar” before being joined by Nas for “If I Ruled The World.” 

“Ms. Hill, you’re the greatest!” shouted the Queens native as he wrapped up his time on stage. Without holding back, the tribute continued with a touching rendition of “Turn Your Lights Down Low” by her son, YG Marley. Lizzo and Rapsody then stormed the stage with an energetic execution of the 1998 hit “Doo Wop (That Thing).” 

In one of the most heartwarming moments, Zion Marley took the stage to perform a reggae-inspired rendition of “To Zion,” originally released in his honor. Alexia Jayy, winner of season 29 of The Voice, took on “Killing Me Softly” and proved why she came in first place in the vocal competition series. 

The ultimate climax of the tribute came as Queen Latifah and Common brought classic hip-hop prestige for a joint performance of “Lost Ones.” 

“Respect the Queen of Jersey,” yelled Queen Latifah as the set ended to a standing ovation. “L. Boogie, Ms. Lauryn Hill!”

Hill also returned to the stage to perform “Ex-Factor” before receiving her award. Watch clips from the tribute and her solo performance below.