One of the most unforgettable performances of the 2013 BET Awards began with Justin Timberlake presenting R&B legend Charlie Wilson with the Cadillac Lifetime Achievement Award.
Charlie Wilson has made an unforgettable contribution to R&B, funk and soul music for nearly 50 years. As lead singer of TheGap Band and later as a solo artist, he paved the way for artists like Aaron Hall, R. Kelly and Snoop Dogg. Wilson has been celebrated throughout the decades for his trailblazing carer. In 2009, he received the Soul Train Icon Award and Billboard’s R&B Adult Artist of the Year. And this year, BET honors him with the illustrious Lifetime Achievement Award.
India. Arie opened the moving tribute to Wilson with “There Goes My Baby” while Jamie Foxx blessed the crowd with the favorite “Yearning For Your Love.” The legendary Stevie Wonder then took the stage and energized the audience with the funky “Burn Rubber On Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me).”
Wilson joined Timberlake, Snoop Lion and Pharrell for 2003’s “Beautiful,” a hit that reintroduced Wilson to a new generation of fans along with knock-out renditions of “Signs,” “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” and “Girl You Knock Me Out,” bringing the crowd to its feet.
