Kanye West And Usher Take The Spotlight For The 2015 BET Honors [Photos]

Some of the biggest names in music were among the esteemed guests of the 2015 BET Honors held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., with Kanye West and Usher Raymond among honorees and Mary J. Blige closing the ceremony with her performance.

Unsurprisingly, it was Kanye West who landed the coveted Visionary Award at the event which he attended alongside his reality star wife Kim Kardashian. While the multi-Platinum rapper may be one of the best modern popstars, having released his sixth consecutive number one album 'Yeezus' two years ago, he's hardly going to win any prizes for modesty. Despite himself, he quipped to the audience upon receiving his award, 'I understand what it is to be humbled for the first time'.

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The rapper even took to the stage for a brief spell, joining Charlie Wilson for a performance of 'Yearning for Your Love' which was originally released in 1981 when Wilson fronted soul collective The Gap Band. Still going solo, he has just released his sixth studio album 'Forever Charlie' which also features collaborations with Shaggy and Snoop Dogg.

Next page: More performers and honorees

Further performances came from multi-Grammy winner Mary J. Blige, who had a busy year in 2014 with the release of album 'The London Sessions' as well as the 'Think Like A Man Too' soundtrack. Ne-Yo also hit the stage, having just dropped his latest record 'Non-Fiction', not to mention K. Michelle, who's about to set out on her My Twisted Mind Tour, and Trey Songz who's set to open for Nicki Minaj on the European leg of her Pinkprint Tour beginning in March.

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Usher joined West on the list of honorees, landing the Musical Arts Award for his lucrative success over the years, with four US number one albums (including a Diamond certification) doubtlessly to be joined by a third, 'UR', later this year, not to mention numerous awards including eight Grammys, a film career and founding Justin Bieber's first label US Records.

Other honorees at the Black Entertainment Television network ceremony were Tony winning actress Phylicia Rashad, former director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole and the Board of Microsoft Chairman John W. Thompson, with a Special Recognition award going to local high school principal Kwame Simmons.