Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar join forces for surprise rendition of Freedom at the BET Awards

Surprise: Beyoncé opens this year's BET Awards
Matt Sayles/Invision/AP
Jennifer Ruby27 June 2016
The Weekender

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Beyoncé was a surprise edition to this year’s BET Awards, opening the ceremony with a show-stopping rendition of Freedom.

The pop superstar, who wasn’t scheduled to perform, kicked off the show in style but left the LA ceremony before she was able to collect any of her prizes.

Making a flying visit to the annual awards, which celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting and sports, the singer marched out on stage to the booming voice of Martin Luther King.

An exert from his I Have a Dream speech played across the auditorium: “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Show-stopper: Beyoncé puts on a powerfl performance 
Danny Moloshok/Reuters

“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.”

She was then joined by Kendrick Lamar, who rapped a verse to the song taken from Beyoncé’s new album Lemonade.

The superstar didn’t stick around to find out if she’d won any awards as her mother Tina Knowles accepted her trophies on her daughter’s behalf.

The singer won categories including Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, the Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award and Voice of the Year.

Other winners included Drake who was named Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Nicki Minaj who won Best Female Hip Hop Artist and Bryson Tiller who picked up the prize for Best New Artist.

Taraji P. Henson was named Actress of the year and Michael B. Jordan was Actor of the Year, while Straight Outta Compton won Best Movie.

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