Anita Baker to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at 2018 BET Awards
Anita Baker is sadly retiring from the music industry this year, but before she takes her final bow, she will be honored at the 2018 BET Awards.
The Grammy Award-winning songbird is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at the all-star award show. Baker is being saluted for paving the way for other women to find their voice and stature in R&B. Baker’s accolades include eight Grammy Awards and seven platinum albums.
While it hasn't been announced who will present the legend with her award, hopefully, BET will get André 3000. The OutKast rapper has expressed his fandom for the veteran R&B singer for quite some time. In fact, he has an idea to create a line of Anita Baker T-shirts to pay homage to her career.
In addition to Baker, the BET Awards will also salute six individuals whose heroic actions or passionate activisms have enriched mankind worldwide. The humanitarian award will be given to James Shaw Jr., the Nashville man who disarmed the Waffle House shooter and raised money for victims' families; Anthony Borges, one of the Parkland shooting survivors who was shot fives times; Justin Blackman, the only student to walk out of his Wilson, NC high school on National Student Walk-Out Day; 11-year-old motivational speaker Naomi Wadler, Mamoudou Gassama, who climbed outside of building to save a dangling baby, and journalist/race writer Shaun King.
DJ Khaled leads this year’s nominations with six including Video of the Year for "Wild Thoughts" (featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller) and Album of the Year for Grateful. Kendrick Lamar follows with five nominations including Best Collaboration for "Loyalty" with Rihanna and Album of the Year for Damn. and ‘Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice.’ Both SZA and Migos garnered four nods apiece including Best New Artist and Best Group, respectively.
The 2018 BET Awards, with host Jamie Foxx, will air live this Sunday (June 24) from Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater at 8PM ET.