Mariah Carey received the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards, marking her first-ever BET Award.

During Monday’s (June 9) awards show, Carey was handed her prize after an emotional and lengthy speech from Busta Rhymes, who called the singer “timeless” while listing all of her accolades. She also acknowledged it was her first BET Award ever.

“My life and career have been quite the adventure,” Carey said during her acceptance speech. “It took me a while, but I realized life is far too short to live for anyone else’s approval.”

She then went on to encourage everyone to be a “diva” while embracing who they are.

Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg were all honored with the BET Ultimate Icon Awards during Monday’s celebration. The award “celebrates their decades of groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact.”

Earlier in the night, Stevie Wonder surprised everyone at the 2025 BET Awards when he stepped out to honor his longtime friend Jamie Foxx.

During his own acceptance speech, Foxx thanked all his friends and loved ones for showing up for him while he went through medical complications caused by a stroke in 2023. He added that when he saw the “In Memoriam” segment, it made him reflect on his own health.

“You can’t go through something like that and not testify,” Foxx said. “A career that I could only thank God for.”

Earlier in the night, Carey brought out Rakim to perform her new song “Type Dangerous” alongside Anderson .Paak. Rakim popped up as a surprise appearance to deliver a special rendition of his verse from Eric B. & Rakim‘s 1986 debut single “Eric B. Is President,” which “Type Dangerous” samples.

Source – Billboard