Surprise! Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar opened the 2016 BET Awards on Sunday, June 26, with a powerful performance of her song “Freedom.”
The “Sorry” singer, 34, splashed her way across Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater stage in a giant lap pool, a similar setup to the one she uses on the runway of her Formation World Tour.
A barefoot Beyoncé rocked a custom Julien MacDonald black bodysuit made with Swarovski crystals as she strutted through the water with her female dancers — who were wearing custom Zana Bayne harnesses — while belting the liberating tune from her latest visual album, Lemonade.
“Freedom, freedom! Where are you? ‘Cause I need freedom too,” she chanted. “I break chains all by myself / Won’t let my freedom rot in hell / Imma keep running ‘cause a winner don’t quit on themselves.”
During the final verse of the anthemic song, Lamar, 29, took the stage and wowed the audience with his powerful presence and politically charged message as Queen Bey and her crew got soaked with water.
“Open correctional gates in higher desert / Open our mind as we cast away oppression,” the seven-time Grammy award winner rapped. “Open the streets and watch our beliefs / And when they carve my name inside the concrete, I pray it forever reads [freedom].”
Beyoncé is nominated for five BET Awards, including Best Female R&B/Pop Artist and Video of the Year for her “Formation” visual. Lamar is also nominated for Video of the Year for “Alright,” in addition to Best Male Hip-Hop Artist.