Taraji P. Henson Opens 2024 BET Awards With Kendrick Lamar Parody

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On Sunday, June 30, the 53 year old actress took to the stage to host the annual award show for the third time and kicked off the show with an opening that got us all out of our seats! Emerging from behind the stage in a red hoodie with jeans and a red cap similar to Kendrick Lamar’s look at his The Pop Out: Ken and Friends show, The Color Purple star launched into a hilarious parody of the rapper’s chart topping hit, “Not Like Us,” which sent the Los Angeles based crowd into a frenzy.

While Lamar’s usual lyrics are pointed jabs at Drake during their ongoing rap beef, Henson changed the lyrics for the night to celebrate Black culture, switching “not like us” to “It’s about us.”

The crowd was feeling every word as they danced and rapped along to the hilarious parody. Check it out below.

Henson previously hosted the 2021 and 2022 BET Awards, where she used the opportunity to honor Black women who have impacted pop culture while stressing the importance of voting and having our voices be heard. And this year, she followed that same formula by using her opening monologue to bring the audience’s attention to our current political climate. While referencing last week’s presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Henson called out the highly ridiculed claim that immigrants are “taking Black jobs.”

“This is a show packed full of all-stars with Black jobs. Whatever that means,” she told the audience after her parody. “But clearly, we know there’s a difference. Thanks for the info, but we already knew it.”

We can always count on Taraji to put on for the culture!

What was your favorite moment from Taraji P. Henson’s opening skit and monologue?