BET has announced the honorees of its Ultimate Icon Award, which will be presented at the 2025 BET Awards on Monday, June 9.
Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg will be recognized for “their decades of groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact.”
The iconic entertainers join previous recipients Janet Jackson (2015), Deborah L. Lee (2018) and Tyler Perry (2019).
Carey, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her 2005 comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi, has an infinite list of accolades.
The Songbird Supreme has sold over 200 million albums to date, making her the best-selling female artist of all time. With 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, 18 of which are self-penned, Carey is not only a frequent visitor to the top of the charts, but she also has more than any solo artist in history.
On Friday (May 30), Carey will release The Emancipation of Mimi (20th Anniversary Edition). The 40-track offering will include all the album’s original songs, including No. 1 hits “We Belong Together” and “Don’t Forget About Us,” plus special remixes and acapellas of select tracks.
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Foxx, who last released an album a decade ago (Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses), has been spending more time in front of the camera. The award-winning actor, singer and comedian most recently starred in the Netflix original movie Back in Action alongside Cameron Diaz. In December 2024, his stand-up special, What Had Happened Was…, premiered on the streaming service.
Foxx is also set to star in Fight for ’84, a new film coming to Netflix that’s based on the true story of the coach of the 1984 US Olympic Boxing team. No release date has been announced yet.
Meanwhile, gospel legend Kirk Franklin’s last solo album, Father’s Day, was released in October 2023. The project featured collaborations with Le’Andria Johnson, Chandler Moore, Tori Kelly, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelontae Gavin and Maranda Curtis.
Since then, the 20-time Grammy winner embarked on The Reunion Tour 2.0 with gospel legends Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, and Marvin Sapp, with special guest Kierra Sheard-Kelly.
As for Snoop Dogg, the Death Row Records owner has been busy running his label that includes artists like October London, Charlie Bereal and Jane Handcock. The legendary rapper, who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, was recently recognized as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
On May 15, Snoop released his latest album, Iz It a Crime? The 15-track set features appearances from Pharrell Williams, Sexyy Red, LaRussell, Wiz Khalifa and more.
The 2025 BET Awards, hosted by Kevin Hart, air live from Peacock Theater on June 9 at 8 p.m. ET on BET. Rapper Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with 10 nominations. Meanwhile, alt-R&B superstars SZA and The Weeknd are the most-nominated R&B acts with four nods each.
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