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Usher Takes Stand Against Trump While Anderson .Paak Wows At BET Awards

NxWorries (Anderson .Paak x Knxwledge) - "Link Up" [Official Video]

The 2016 BET Awards were exceptionally political and especially black this year. Look no further than the opening act. Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar kicked off the night with a performance of the Lemonade song Freedom. The song started with an audio clip of Dr. Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech. It doesn't get more political than that. But it does. Actor and activist Jesse Williams from the ABC show Grey's Anatomy received the Humanitarian Award and subsequently made a powerful speech addressing racism in American society. Perhaps referencing the Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar performance from earlier in the night and raising the stakes Williams said,"Now, freedom is always coming in the hereafter, but you know what, though, the hereafter is a hustle. We want it now."

Then to top if off Usher performed his new single No Limit alongside Young Thug wearing a green jacket with a political message. Usher's jacket read,"DONT TRUMP AMERICA" in an apparent jab at the noted racist and presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump. Two points for Usher.

Politics aside, the award show saw some stellar performances. There were multiple Princetributes and Anderson .Paak, the recent Aftermath signee, got the crowd moving with a performance of the song Come Down. As the camera panned throughout the audience Syd Tha Kyd of The Internet could be seen vibing alongPaak sung and played the drums at the same damn time, which is the usual for the Oxnard, California born musician.

Read Okayplayer's interview with Anderson .Paak here, watch his performance below, and head here for more videos from the 2016 BET Awards show.