The BET Awards has long been called “culture’s biggest night,” but some of its most memorable moments came from rising stars, not industry veterans. Over the years, relatively newer acts — many of them Best New Artist nominees — hit the stage ready to prove why they belong, and why they were not leaving anytime soon.

Sometimes an electrifying debut, massive production or bringing along a mainstay or two for the ride solidifies these talents as someone to watch. Take Latto and Jack Harlow, for example, who raised the bar by including Mariah Carey and Brandy, respectively, in their sets. With that in mind, here are nine times the BET Awards handed the mic to a rising star and got something unforgettable in return.

1. Latto

As if taking home Best New Artist at the 2022 event wasn’t big enough, Latto hit the stage and brought out none other than Carey. She opened with “It’s Givin,” then invited Young Dirty Bastard onstage to help honor the remix of Mimi’s “Fantasy” — the same one his dad featured on — which, of course, “Big Energy” samples.

2. Jack Harlow

Harlow’s performance was kind of a full-circle moment. He treated the crowd to a medley from Come Home The Kids Miss You, with Lil Wayne joining him for “Poison.” Then he jumped into his TikTok-dominating “First Class” alongside Brandy herself, who famously freestyled over the record. The joint show funnily happened some months after Harlow didn’t recognize the R&B singer’s “Angel in Disguise” or that it was by, as the internet reminded him, “Ray J’s sister.”

3. Ice Spice

Let’s just say whoever handled Ice Spice’s set design at the 2023 BET Awards deserves a raise. She opened with “Munch (Feelin’ U)” atop a basketball rim suspended high in the air — a callback to the track's original music video — before segueing into “Princess Diana” and “In Ha Mood.” Her performance was packed with easter eggs, too, from the bodega setup in the background (a little “Deli” moment) to the Fordham Road subway stairs she walked up. We’d expect nothing less from New York’s princess of rap.

4. Tyla

Tyla snagged Best New Artist at the 2024 BET Awards and proved she deserved it. After Skillibeng's opening, the South African star made her entrance for “Jump” in a cage alongside a tiger. Okay, actually, it was four women creatively painted as different segments of a tiger (a nod to her fanbase, the Tygers). Between her chemistry with Gunna to dancing her way through a sea of stilt-walking men, the "Water" hitmaker earned every bit of that trophy.

5. Sexyy Red

There’s a little bit of Sexyy Red in everyone. She opened her set at the BET Awards the same way most of us start our mornings in the shower, singing off-key, with the chorus of “U My Everything.” Then came the full rollout of her In Sexyy We Trust era. Secret Service agents danced to a mash-up of “Hail to the Chief” and “SkeeYee” before the St. Louis artist jumped into “Get It Sexyy.” She dominated the stage in her own version of Oval Office attire: a cropped button-up and pinstripe shorts with “Sexyy” stamped on the back. The rap superstar's performance was a welcome change of pace and very on-brand for her.

6. Doechii

Though we didn’t get the SZA-assisted version of “Persuasive” at the 2022 BET Awards, Doechii hitting the stage with the track’s solo version was still a moment. And for anyone curious about what was hiding beneath her wig, the reveal didn’t disappoint: gorgeous black cornrows. She snatched the wig off before launching into “Crazy,” another one of her highlight records from 2022.

7. Shaboozey

Shaboozey became the first Black man to simultaneously top both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts, and yes, we’re going to keep giving him props for it. The Virginia native performed “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” at the 2024 BET Awards, a track he admittedly questioned, “Is this thing really connecting with people?” as he took the stage. That said, it felt good to see country music make a comeback during culture’s biggest night. As for his performance, it started off pretty mellow — that is until J-Kwon joined him to crank things up with the original “Tipsy.”

8. Chlöe

Yes, Chloe x Halle had been doing their thing for over 10 years by 2022, but Chlöe as a solo act was still pretty new when she hit the stage at that year’s BET Awards. Her medley of “Surprise” and “Treat Me” came with a full-on lap dance for one of her dancers, plus an iconic introduction: “My name is Chlöe. Miss Bailey, if you nasty.” If there was one thing to nitpick — and it’s a small one — it’s that she didn’t throw in more than a snippet of “Have Mercy.”

9. GloRilla

Get ‘em, Glo! The Memphis rapper dropped not one, but two projects in 2024, so it’s easy to forget just how many hits are packed into Ehhthang Ehhthang. However, onstage at the BET Awards that year, she gave the mixtape its flowers. GloRilla descended from the sky with a parachute for “Yeah Glo!” and followed it up with one of her first live performances of 2024’s song of the summer, “TGIF.”

Right as she rapped, “Got a million and one haters, and they all can kiss my a**,” her background dancers literally ripped her pants off. GloRilla closed out her medley with “Wanna Be” alongside Megan Thee Stallion, the two matching every bit of their infectious energy from Meg's “Hot Girl Summer Tour.”