Once again, Black excellence stood front and center during this year’s dual celebration of the BET Awards and Black Music Month. Kendrick Lamar’s surprise The Pop Out – Ken & Friends at the Kia Forum and T-Pain’s co-curated concert at the Hollywood Bowl — both held on the Juneteenth holiday in Los Angeles — catapulted everything into high gear in the days leading up to BET Week 2024.

Those six days before the BET Awards (June 30) were jam-packed with opportunities to hear new music, reunite/network with industry colleagues or just plain chill. There were album listening parties involving a diverse array of artists including Eric Benét, Lucky Daye and Marsha Ambrosius. There were also artist showcases, including Columbia’s featuring R&B newcomers Aqyila, Iniko, Qing Madi and Q and SiriusXM Pandora Presents Coco Jones. There were other awards events such as ASCAP’s annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards honoring Usher, Victoria Monét and Lil Baby, YouTube’s second Leaders and Legends gala honoring Cash Money’s Bryan and Ronald Williams and the 12^th annual Culture Creators fete honoring Teyana Taylor, BET executive vp Connie Orlando and more. Also celebrating in full effect on different evenings: Interscope Geffen and Republic with its own “kickback” hang.

Among the weekend highlights were two BET-affiliated concerts. The first (June 28) featured Cardi B, Gunna, Sexyy Red, Davido and Jordan Ward. The next evening (June 29), in partnership with Live Nation Urban, the Roots Picnic: Hip-Hop Is the Love of My Life rolled into the Hollywood Bowl. The 44-song setlist included compelling performances by The Roots (also the night’s back-up band), The Pharcyde, Common, Arrested Development and more. But it was the ladies who brought the house down. Queen Latifah started out the gate with several songs including “Had It Up To Here” before ushering fellow female rap trailblazers The Lady Rage, Monie Love, MC Lyte  and Yo-Yo to the stage — all of whom came together for a rousing take on Latifah’s Grammy-winning hit “U.N.I.T.Y.”

So without further ado, here’s a gallery of photo highlights capturing BET Week 2024.