Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, & Tori Kelly Pay Tribute to Prince at BET Awards
The Prince tributes were numerous and strong at the BET Awards, first with Erykah Badu, Bilal, and The Roots and followed by Stevie Wonder with Tori Kelly, plus Jennifer Hudson.
The former unlikely duo ran through an impassioned rendition of Prince and the Revolution’s “Take Me With U,” a cut off of the Purple One’s classic album Purple Rain. Wonder played a small beat machine as Kelly, clad in high-waisted purple pants tucked into knee-reaching boots, joined him on vocals, nailing runs and harmonies as audience members including Spike Lee and Tyrese bopped along.
J-Hud shut it down after the pair wrapped up their duet, coming out to shred “Purple Rain,” a song she sang with her The Color Purple cast members on Broadway following their performance after Prince’s death in April. “Can you play me out?” she asked, letting room for The Roots’ Captain Kirk Douglas ravish the electric guitar for a solo.
Watch the inspiring set below.