Everyone from Rihanna to Alicia Keys to Jennifer Hudson strutted down the red carpet in their summer finery tonight for the star-studded BET Awards '08 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Hosted by funnyman D.L. Hughley, the night included performances by Fergie, Rihanna, Usher, Kanye West, Keyshia Cole, Alicia Keys, TLC, En Vogue, Jill Scott, Maxwell and more.
Winners included Chris Brown (Best Male R&B Artist), Kobe Bryant (Best Male Athlete), Missy Elliott (Best Female Hip Hop Artist), Kanye West (Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Best Collaboration), Alicia Keys (Best Female R&B Artist) and Lil Wayne (Viewer's Choice Award).
The night included a tribute to soul legend Al Green, who was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, and had the crowd singing along on its feet for rousing renditions of his classics "Let's Stay Together" and "Love and Happiness."
Queen Latifah was on hand to honor Quincy Jones with BET's Humanitarian Award for his extensive philanthropic endeavors. In accepting the award, the music legend paraphrased Leo Tolstoy, saying, "'My piece of bread only belongs to me if everybody has a piece to eat.' Nobody has to starve while I eat and that's the way I want to feel the rest of my life." He went on to advise the young people in the audience, "When it rains, get wet. Live your life, baby, and live it real."
Presenters taking the stage included Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Cuba Gooding Jr., LL Cool J, Ashanti, Diddy, John Legend and more.
Keep checking back here for ET's own video with all the backstage BET scoop!