Ms. Lauryn Hill received the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday night and was honored with an all-star musical performance featuring three of her children, Queen Latifah, Common, Doechii, Lizzo and more.
The tribute opened with Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty performing the gospel finale from Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, the film that introduced many viewers to Hill years before she broke through with The Fugees.
Later, Hill’s children took the stage. Daughter Selah Marley performed “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” while YG Marley sang “Turn Your Lights Down Low.” Zion Marley closed things out with a reggae-inspired version of “To Zion,” the song Hill wrote in honor of his birth for her groundbreaking 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
While accepting the award, Hill reflected on the love that has shaped both her life and her music.
“I do this because I love y’all,” she said. “I do this because I want you to have everything that I experienced, right? I had wonderful parents who loved on me, poured into me and protected me. And once I realized that not everybody got to have that experience, I felt like it was my duty, my responsibility to share as much love, and to pour into as much people as I possibly could. And music was a way for me to do that.”
Hill also spoke about the importance of representing her community.
“I have always cared about the expression of and the representation of the dignity of our people,” she said. “Sometimes we’re put in positions to say things that aren’t always comfortable. We understand that people will understand later.”
“Everybody may not know it, but I fight for y’all,” Hill continued. “And fighting for y’all is me fighting for myself. It’s me fighting for my children, it’s me fighting for my parents, it’s me fighting for my grandparents. It’s me fighting for my community.”
Before concluding her speech, Hill also recognized two of her other children, John and Sara Marley, who were in the audience. She noted that John was celebrating his 23rd birthday, while Sara is preparing to attend the University of Miami. Hill shares five children with former partner Rohan Marley and son Micah Hill from another relationship.