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Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone died Monday (June 9) at age 82, and the music community is grieving the groundbreaking funk pioneer.
Questlove, who directed the new documentary Sly Lives (aka The Burden of Black Genius), shared a touching tribute on Instagram.
“Sly Stone, born Sylvester Stewart, left this earth today, but the changes he sparked while here will echo forever. From the moment his music reached me in the early 1970s, it became a part of my soul. Sly was a giant — not just for his groundbreaking work with the Family Stone, but for the radical inclusivity and deep human truths he poured into every note,” he wrote. “His songs weren’t just about fighting injustice; they were about transforming the self to transform the world. He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries, and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths. His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.”
The Roots drummer also highlighted two lines that “haunt me” as he reflected on his legacy: “We deserve everything we get in this life” from Sly Lives! and “We got to live together” from the group’s 1968 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Everyday People.” “Once idealistic, now I hear it as a command. Sly’s music will likely speak to us even more now than it did then. Thank you, Sly. You will forever live,” Questlove continued.
Public Enemy‘s Chuck D thanked Questlove “for keeping his FIRE blazing in this Century” on X while sharing an illustration of Stone and Questlove. He posted more artwork of the psychedelic soul group while writing, “………and The Family Stone Rest In Beats SLY.”
Trending on Billboard
Legendary record executive Clive Davis, who worked with the group when it signed to CBS Records in 1967, wrote in a statement to Billboard, “Sly was truly one of a kind. I had the very special experience of knowing him when he was at his most creative, his hardest working and his genius flourishing vibrantly. Sly’s artistry influenced so many of our important creative talents. He will be forever missed.”
KISS frontman Paul Stanley remembered seeing Sly and the Family Stone “debut at the Fillmore East in New York City opening for Jimi Hendrix. They were a freight train of bombastic, joyous SouI that would soon climb the charts and change the sound of R&B for so many other artists. Rest In Soul!” he wrote on X.
Holly Robinson Pete also celebrated Stone’s pioneering efforts. “You didn’t just make music—you shifted the culture. As kids in Philly, my brother played Sly, I was Cynthia on my imaginary horn. We lived your music. You gave us the groove & the message. Thank you, genius,” she wrote on X.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame posted an in memoriam tribute thread on X, including a clip of Stone’s acceptance speech during a very rare public appearance when he and the group were induced in 1993. The Rock Hall praised Sly and the Family Stone for making “it possible for Black popular music to burst free on its own terms” and “extending the boundaries of pop and R&B with each new song,” while hailing its 1969 Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” the double A-side single with “Everybody Is a Star,” for helping “create the sonic blueprint for the funk and disco genres that followed.”
On Monday night (June 9), the 2025 BET Awards returned to Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater in celebration of its 25th anniversary. Hosted by Kevin Hart for a second time, BET recruited a bevy of A-listers to steer the show into prime-time excellence, with performances on deck from Lil Wayne, Playboi Carti, Leon Thomas and GloRilla. Along with having some of today’s brightest stars in the room and on the red carpet, BET is honoring several legendary luminaries including Snoop Dogg, Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx and Kirk Franklin at Monday’s show. Along with receiving the Ultimate Icon Awards, which celebrated “their decades of groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact,” Snoop, Carey and Franklin will grace the stage with high-octane performances from their decorated catalogs.
The West Coast’s very own Kendrick Lamar leads the nominee pack, walking into the night with an astounding 10 nominations, including a nod in the album of the year category for his highly touted effort GNX and video of the year for his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 record “Not Like Us.” Following Lamar are Doechii, Drake, Future and GloRilla, each with six nods, while SZA and Metro Boomin snagged five of their own.
The BET Awards is also honoring its revered flagship show, 106 & Park, as former hosts AJ Calloway, Free, Julissa Bermudez, Keshia Chanté, Rocsi Diaz and Terrence J will reunite after spending years on the legendary NYC couches counting down hip-hop and R&B classics in front of a live studio audience. There, former 106 host Bow Wow will hit the stage, along with performances from B2K, Amerie, T.I. and Jim Jones.
But before it all went down, the stars took over the 2025 BET Awards red carpet, and you can find the best photos from the night below.
GloRilla
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
GloRilla at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Ciara
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Ciara at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Muni Long
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Muni Long at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Shaboozey
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Shaboozey at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Ravyn Lenae
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Ravyn Lenae at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Mario
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Mario at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Keke Palmer
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Keke Palmer at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
2 Chainz
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
2 Chainz at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Ashanti
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Ashanti at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Snoop Dogg
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Snoop Dogg, Shante Broadus and Jonathan Daviss at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Mya
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Mya at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Lucky Daye
Image Credit: Earl Gibson III
Lucky Daye at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Sandra Denton
Image Credit: Earl Gibson III
Sandra Denton at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Busta Rhymes
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Busta Rhymes at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Doechii
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Doechii at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Jennifer Hudson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Jennifer Hudson at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Leon Thomas III
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Leon Thomas III at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
MC Lyte
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
MC Lyte at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Warren G
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Warren G at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Jordin Sparks
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Jordin Sparks at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Giveon
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Giveon at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Kehlani
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Kehlani at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
T.I.
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
T.I. at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Da Brat
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
LisaRaye McCoy and Da Brat at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Machine Gun Kelly
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Machine Gun Kelly at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Andra Day
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Andra Day at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Bow Wow
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Bow Wow at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Keyshia Cole
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Keyshia Cole at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Kevin Hart
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Kevin Hart at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Skai Jackson
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Skai Jackson at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
D-Nice
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
D-Nice at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Moliy
Image Credit: Christopher Polk
Moliy at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Jermaine Dupri
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores
Jermaine Dupri at the BET Awards 2025 held at the Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
The best from the Sly Stone-led funk, rock and soul outfit, following its leader’s passing at age 82.
As the pioneering frontman of the legendary group Sly & the Family Stone, Sly Stone, who died Monday (June 9) at age 82, blazed a trail that merged funk and R&B with tastes of rock and soul for an influential catalog that surged to mainstream success in the late 1960s and early ’70s.
Like contemporaries Jimi Hendrix, Parliament and Isaac Hayes, Sly & the Family Stone were pivotal players in the late ’60s psychedelic soul scene, which blended classic R&B and soul elements with guitar-driven rock and jazz into a new sonic fusion.
The group made its Billboard chart debut on Jan. 27, 1968, with “Dance to the Music,” which arrived at No. 48 on Best Selling R&B Singles (today’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart) and peaked at No. 9 that April. The single also became the group’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry that February and rose even higher there, to No. 8, showing the group’s wide crossover appeal from the jump.
“Dance to the Music” was the first of 16 Hot 100 hits for Sly & The Family Stone, in 1968-75, a collection that includes three No. 1s: “Everyday People” in 1969, the dual-sided “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin”/“Everybody Is a Star” in 1970 and “Family Affair” in 1971. In addition to the band’s output, Stone landed two solo hits: “I Get High on You,” which reached No. 52 in 1975 and a featured spot on Jesse Johnson’s “Crazay,” a No. 53 hit in 1986. The group’s commercial highs were also reflected by strong album sales: It scored three top 10s on the Billboard 200 in 1970-73, including the No. 1 There’s a Riot Goin On.
Thanks to the group’s impact, Sly & The Family Stone were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993; the year before, Arrested Development’s “People Everyday,” which interpolates “Everyday People,” notched three weeks at No. 1 on Hot Rap Songs and hit No. 8 on the Hot 100. In recent years, the group’s influence reached a new generation through appearances in two documentaries produced by Questlove: the multi-artist Summer of Soul, which won an Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2022 and this year’s Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius).
To recognize Sly Stone’s impact and contributions to the American music canon, here’s a review of Sly & the Family Stone’s 10 biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
Sly & the Family Stone’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 from its Aug. 4, 1958, start through June 7, 2025. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.
“Stand!”
Can Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” hold on to No. 1? Tetris Kelly: This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week, dated June 14, “Nokia” drops to No. 10, as “Beautiful Things” is up to nine. “Lose Control” stays at No. 8, so does “Die With A Smile” at seven, and “A Bar Song […]
Just one day before the 2025 BET Awards are set to take over Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Monday night (June 9), a slew of the most prolific songwriters and producers across R&B and hip-hop convened at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons for the 2025 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards on Sunday (June 8).
Decked out in a floor-length, figure-hugging brown dress, Cardi B graciously accepted the Voice of the Culture Award as her fellow songwriters and artists looked on.
“My voice has always been a reflection of what I live and what I’m living, which I feel is a true reflection of the people, the culture, my friends, my family, and the environment that I grew up in,” the Grammy-winning rapper said while accepting her “big girl” award from ASCAP executive vice president & head of creative membership, Nicole George-Middleton. “I like to put that in my music — my joys, my pains, my drama, everything.”
Trending on Billboard
With Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers like “Bodak Yellow,” “I Like It,” “WAP” and “Up,” to her name, Cardi B has helped keep female rap at the top of the Billboard charts ever since she first broke through in 2017. Her resounding commercial success and cultural impact make her a natural successor to Usher, who received the same award last year. The Voice of the Culture Award is presented to ASCAP members who have had a major influence on music and culture, recognizing their success as creators and changemakers. Additional past recipients of the award include Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, D-Nice and T.I.
“I hate the idea that if you don’t write every line on your own, it makes what you have to say not real. Music is a collaboration, it has always been. The biggest hits [and] the greatest records come from teamwork,” Cardi continued. “They come from sharing experiences, energy, pain and joy. It’s not about ego, it’s about impact. I write, I co-write, I rewrite. I speak to what’s true to me. My pen, my mind and my feelings are in every verse and in every hook. I respect every writer who brings their magic to the table. This award is not just for me, it’s for the culture.”
Cardi, who also picked up an ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award for her 2024 Hot 100 top 10 hit “Enough (Miami),” made history in 2020 as the first woman to receive the esteemed ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year Award two years in a row. She has earned eight ASCAP Pop Music Awards and 23 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. At Monday night’s BET Awards, Cardi will be vying for her third consecutive win for best female hip-hop artist, which would mark her first victory in that category this decade. Last week, the rapper dominated headlines after making her relationship with New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs Instagram-official.
Kendrick Lamar’s cultural juggernaut “Not Like Us” was named ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year. Co-written by Mustard, the searing Drake diss spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, swept all five of its Grammy nominations, and became the first-ever rap song to spend 52 consecutive weeks on Billboard’s marquee singles chart.
Lamar leads this year’s BET Awards with 10 nominations, including album of the year (GNX), video of the year (“Not Like Us”) and best male hip-hop artist.
Swiss songwriter OZ earned this year’s ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year honor, commemorating his contributions to hits like Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter,” Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me” and Travis Scott’s “I Know?” Cece Winans’ “That’s My King,” co-written by Taylor Agan and Kellie Besch, earned the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Gospel Song of the Year title, and Sony Music Publishing was named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year.
Some of Sony’s biggest 2024 hits included Hot 100 chart-toppers like Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” as well as year-defining tracks like Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby,” SZA’s “Saturn,” Sexyy Red’s “Get It Sexyy,” Muni Long’s “Made for Me,” Chris Brown’s “Residuals” and “Sensational,” Lil Baby and Central Cee’s “Band4Band,” Cardi B’s “Enough” and GloRilla’s “Yeah Glo!”
Additional 2025 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award-winning songwriters include 21 Savage (“Prove It,” “Redrum,” “Surround Sound”), Offset (“Worth It”), Lil Uzi Vert (“Everybody”), Tee Grizzley (“IDGAF”), Playboi Carti (“Carnival,” “FE!N,” “Timeless”), Tasha Cobbs Leonard (“In the Room”), and Tye Tribbett (“Only One Night Tho”).
The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past year based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services, as specified by the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards rules.
Given the ramp-up to tonight’s BET Awards — Kendrick Lamar leading the charge with 10 nominations; Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Playboi Carti and Leon Thomas performing; a salute to video countdown show 106 & Park and not one but four Ultimate Icon Award honorees: Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin — no doubt more than a few people will be tuning in as “Culture’s Biggest Night” celebrates its 25th anniversary.
And that should come as no surprise. Because in the last 25 years, the BET Awards show has lived up to that lofty tag line while, in turn, cementing the show’s venerable legacy.
Trending on Billboard
As Connie Orlando, BET’s executive vp of specials, music programming and music strategy, noted in a 2021 Billboard interview, “If you look at the BET Awards — ‘culture’s biggest night’ — it’s big. It’s Black excellence. It’s the best of the best. We want to thunder home a message about music, culture and everything.”
The show had accomplished just that the year before Orlando’s above-referenced comments when it went virtual in June 2020 — exceeding expectations and garnering fans’ and critics’ praise despite the challenges presented by COVID-19. In setting the show’s culturally empowering tone, host/actress Amanda Seales delivered a searing monologue about the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor while questioning renewed white fervor for civil rights in the wake of Juneteenth being designated as a national holiday: “…Y’all don’t let them Cinco de Mayo our day. If we ain’t watchful, every June 19th, folks going to be at the bar wearing Frederick Douglass wig hats, ordering ‘Harriettinis’ off the drink special.”
But that wasn’t the only reason that 3.7 million viewers tuned in that evening. The riveting performances and special awards were just as memorable. There was Megan Thee Stallion revving up an ATV in the desert — along with her formidable twerking prowess — for “Girls in the Hood” and “Savage (Remix),” riveting tributes to late pioneers Little Richard and Kobe Bryant and former First Lady Michelle Obama presenting that year’s Humanitarian Award to Beyoncé in recognition of the star’s charitable endeavors and fight against sexism and racism.
Other social media and water-cooler moments spring to mind as well. Like Michael Jackson trading fancy footwork (to rabid audience screams) with his idol James Brown before presenting the Godfather of Soul with BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. Or Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett being the first married couple to host the show in 2005. Then 19 years later Smith returned to the BET Awards stage last year for his first solo performance on a major awards show since his infamous Oscar slap in 2022 that got him banned from Academy Award events for 10 years.
Let’s not forget Jamie Foxx’s compassionate yet joyous turn as host for the 2009 ceremony, just days after Jackson’s untimely death. In a rousing tribute to the singer-songwriter, the Oscar winner donned a red jacket and one jeweled glove to perform “Beat It” before being joined onstage by an emotional Janet Jackson. “We’re going to celebrate this Black man,” Foxx declared at one point during what became one of the highest-rated BET Awards shows ever with more than 10 million viewers. “He belongs to us, and we shared him with everybody else.”
And the list goes on. Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar opening the show in 2016 with an astonishing, splashy performance of “Freedom.” Prince hoisting one of Patti LaBelle’s high-heeled shoes in the air after her stirring interpretation of “Purple Rain” during his 2010 lifetime achievement induction. Charlie Wilson’s own bar-raising lifetime award presentation featuring Snoop Dogg, Pharrell and Justin Timberlake in 2013. Chris Brown’s electrifying dance moves in tribute to Jackson in 2010 and again in 2011 before taking home four statuettes as that year’s top winner. Not to mention illuminating performances in salute to lifetime achievement queens Chaka Khan and Mary J. Blige in 2006 and 2019. Not to mention surprise reunions over the years like New Edition and En Vogue.
Such memorable moments haven’t been limited to artist performances or the colorful cast of hosts along the way, including Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Hart (marking his second time as emcee tonight) and Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. Actor Samuel L. Jackson was at the helm in 2016 when Grey’s Anatomy star and activist Jesse Williams’ impassioned speech after accepting BET’s Humanitarian Award literally stole the show. “We’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us,” Williams declared in part, “burying Black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil — Black gold! — ghettoizing and demeaning our creations and stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit.”
Like other award ceremonies, BET has also endured its share of bumps and bruises in the ongoing tug of war between captivating audiences in a 24/7 media world and lower ratings. In 2022, Lil Nas X tweeted his dismay (“Thank you bet awards. an outstanding zero nominations again”) and even released a song, “Late to Da Party,” about the matter. In a statement, BET cited his 2020 nomination and performances on the show in 2019 and 2021 and added in part, “We love Lil Nas X … At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community.”
Speaking of ratings, the 2024 BET Awards claimed bragging rights as the No. 1 cable awards show, drawing more than 3 million viewers, according to Nielsen — and its highest viewership in the coveted 18-49 demographic in five years. In addition to Usher receiving the lifetime achievement award, the boost was further propelled by Will Smith’s first performance on the BET stage and country artists being spotlighted for the first time as well with performances by Shaboozey and Tanner Adell. “This groundbreaking inclusion of country music highlighted Black music’s rich history, diversity and landscape” and “celebrated the fullness of Black music,” BET said in a statement.
Ultimately, it’s the cultural impact that stands at the heart of the BET Awards’ legacy, not ratings. As BET itself marks its 45th anniversary at a time when diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are being erased, books are being banned and revisionist history is becoming a popular pastime, it’s imperative that Black voices not be silenced but celebrated and chronicled.
“For 25 years, the BET Awards has stood as the most coveted and authentic stage for celebrating Black culture; not just in music but in all its dynamic expressions,” Orlando tells Billboard ahead of tonight’s show. “No other award show carries the same responsibility, resonance or expectation. [The audience] comes for joy, for protest, for healing; to see Black Excellence in all its complexity, creativity and power. That’s what makes the BET Awards unlike anything else — and why it continues to matter so deeply.”
So stay tuned for what “Culture’s Biggest Night” has in store this time around.