The moment Patti LaBelle FORGETS lyrics to Tina Turner’s signature song The Best during BET Awards tribute… and gets ROASTED on social media
- LaBelle, 79, was set to perform Turner’s classic song The Best at the award show
- But she flubbed several of the lines and assured the audience she was ‘trying’
- Turner died May 24 at home in Switzerland at age 83 after an extended illness
Social media users registered their disappointment on Sunday night after the legendary singer Patti LaBelle’s tribute to the late Tina Turner went off the rails during the 2023 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
The 79-year-old R&B star was performing a cover of one of Turner’s most popular songs, The Best, but she forgot several of the lyrics during the high-profile performance.
‘I’m trying y’all,’ she said to defend herself during an improvised moment in the song.
But viewers on Twitter mocked the performance mercilessly and joked about Turner’s reaction from Heaven, though LaBelle managed to carry herself as gracefully as possible under the circumstances.
The singer seemed to indicate that the missing lyrics were a result of her being unable to see the teleprompter properly, which suggests she may not have had the song memorized.
Uh oh! Social media users registered their disappointment on Sunday night after the legendary singer Patti LaBelle’s tribute to the late Tina Turner went off the rails when she forget several of the lyrics to The Best
Not feeling it: Several viewers joked on Twitter that Tina Turner would have been wincing in heaven after the botched performance
LaBelle tried to keep the mood upbeat and celebratory despite the misstep.
‘Whatever, I can’t see the words. I don’t know. I’m trying, y’all!’ she said from the stage as the song continued.
She was certainly looking glamorous enough to pay tribute to Turner with her black dress that was covered in sparkling fringe.
‘Give it up for Tina Turner,’ she said to pump up the crowd at the start of her performance.
One Twitter user shared a video from the theater during LaBelle’s performance and suggested that the audience members may have been partly to blame, as some people may have been standing up and dancing in front of the teleprompter LaBelle was relying on.
Regardless, she clearly didn’t have the song down pat, which would have allowed her to continue even if she couldn’t see the teleprompter.
Several Twitter reactions compared the snafu to Patti’s debacle at the 1996 National Tree Lighting ceremony, in which she was supposed to perform This Christmas.
However, she also didn’t know the lyrics intimately that time, and the cue cards that she was reading from apparently were mixed up.
The video has been widely circulated and mocked over the years, and it was once again dusted off the for occasion.
‘Patti LaBelle trying to get through this tribute,’ wrote one person as they included the 1996 clip.
Doing her best: ‘I’m trying y’all,’ she said to defend herself during an improvised moment in the song
In the way? ‘Whatever, I can’t see the words. I don’t know,’ she said. LaBelle appeared to have difficulty seeing a teleprompter, possibly because of standing and dancing audience members
On top of the world: She was certainly looking glamorous enough to pay tribute to Turner with her black dress that was covered in sparkling fringe
History repeating itself: Several Twitter reactions compared the snafu to Patti’s debacle at the 1996 National Tree Lighting ceremony, in which she was supposed to perform This Christmas but had to improvise after the cue cards were mixed up
They meet again: One user joked that LaBelle had been in a ‘decades long battle’ with teleprompters
Iconic: The backdrop to Patti’s performance feature Turner’s first name in enormous letters with images of her over the years projected on it
Hard to see: Other posts poked fun at the hitmaker’s difficulty seeing the teleprompter. One Twitter user illustrated that with the popular meme featuring a woman squatting and squinting
Another user joked: ‘Patti LaBelle versus teleprompters… a decades long battle…’ while including the same video.
Other posts poked fun at the hitmaker’s difficulty seeing the teleprompter.
One Twitter user illustrated that with the popular meme featuring a woman squatting and squinting.
‘Patti LaBelle up there trying to sing the words,’ they wrote.
Others joked that the late Turner would be ready to fight LaBelle from beyond the grave for the mix-up.
‘Tina Turner in heaven right now after miss Patti LaBelle didn’t know her lyrics,’ wrote one person who posted a video of a woman being restrained as she tried to attack someone.
Others brought Turner’s abusive ex-husband Ike Turner, who died in 2007 at 76, into the mix.
Several posters shared images of Laurence Fishburne playing the musician from the 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It, which starred Angela Bassett as Tina.
‘Ike Turner in hell watching Patti LaBelle mess up the words,’ wrote one person who included a screenshot that was originally of Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained, though they had superimposed Fishburne as Turner over his face and photoshopped a Four Loko can into his hand.
Holding her back: Others joked that the late Turner would be ready to fight LaBelle from beyond the grave for the mix-up
Tasteless choice: Several posters shared images of Laurence Fishburne playing the musician from the 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It, which starred Angela Bassett as Tina
Crossing the line: Another shot of Fishburne as Turner was captioned, ‘Everyone watching Patti LaBelle disrespect Tina Turner by not knowing her lyrics,’ which seemed to imply that some viewers might be driven to violence like Turner
Not her fault! But it wasn’t all mockery for Patti, and several Twitter users came to her defense and noted that she was a musical icon in her own right. One user wrote that they ‘blame BET,’ because the show should have had ‘them lyrics as big as a day’ for the 79-year-old singer
Blame BET: Another person similarly noted her age and the teleprompter issue, but they also bashed BET for the ‘cliché’ choice of The Best, when they thought one of Turner’s other classic songs like What’s Love Got To Do With It would have been a better fit for Patti
Another shot of Fishburne as Turner was captioned, ‘Everyone watching Patti LaBelle disrespect Tina Turner by not knowing her lyrics,’ which seemed to imply that some viewers might be driven to violence like Turner.
But it wasn’t all mockery for Patti, and several Twitter users came to her defense and noted that she was a musical icon in her own right.
One user wrote that they ‘blame BET,’ because the show should have had ‘them lyrics as big as a day’ for the 79-year-old singer.
Another person similarly noted her age and the teleprompter issue, but they also bashed BET for the ‘cliché’ choice of The Best, when they thought one of Turner’s other classic songs like What’s Love Got To Do With It would have been a better fit for Patti.
2023 BET Awards Winners
Album of the Year
Anyways, Life’s Great, GloRilla
Breezy, Chris Brown
God Did, DJ Khaled
Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance, Beyoncé (WINNER – TIE)
SOS, SZA (WINNER – TIE)
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
H.E.R.
Lizzo
SZA (WINNER)
Tems
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Blxst
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy
Chris Brown (WINNER – TIE)
Drake
The Weeknd
Usher (WINNER – TIE)
Best Group
City Girls
Drake & 21 Savage (WINNER)
Dvsn
FLO
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Quavo & Takeoff
Wanmor
Best Collaboration
Big Energy (Remix), Latto & Mariah Carey feat. DJ Khaled
Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2, Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
Call Me Every Day, Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, King Combs feat. Kodak Black
Creepin’, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage
F.N.F. (Let’s Go), Hitkidd & GloRilla
Tomorrow 2, GloRilla & Cardi B
Wait For U, Future feat. Drake & Tems (WINNER)
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Cardi B
Coi Leray
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Latto (WINNER)
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
21 Savage
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar (WINNER)
Lil Baby
Video of the Year
We (Warm Embrace), Chris Brown
2 Million Up, Peezy, Jeezy & Real Boston Richey feat. Rob49
About Damn Time, Lizzo
Bad Habit, Steve Lacy
First Class, Harlow
Kill Bill, SZA (WINNER)
Tomorrow 2, GloRilla & Cardi B
Video Director of the Year
A$AP Rocky for AWGE
Benny Boom
Burna Boy
Cole Bennett
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Director X
Teyana ‘Spike Tey’ Taylor (WINNER)
Best New Artist
Ambré
Coco Jones (WINNER)
Doechii
FLO
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Lola Brooke
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
Bless Me, Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin (WINNER)
Finished (Live), Tamela Mann
I’ve Got Joy, CeCe Winans
Kingdom, Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore
New, Tye Tribbett
One Moment From Glory, Yolanda Adams
The Better Benediction (Pt.2), PJ Morton feat. Lisa Knowles-Smith, Le’andria Johnson, Keke Wyatt, Kierra Sheard & Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Viewer’s Choice Award
About Damn Time, Lizzo
Break My Soul, Beyoncé (WINNER)
First Class, Jack Harlow
Jimmy Cooks, Drake feat 21 Savage
Kill Bill, SZA
Last Last, Burna Boy
Super Freaky Girl, Nicki Minaj
Wait For U, Future feat. Drake & Tems
Best International Act
Aya Nakamura (France)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Burna Boy (Nigeria) (WINNER)
Central Cee (UK)
Ella Mai (UK)
Ko (South Africa)
L7nnon (Brazil)
Stormzy (UK)
Tiakola (France)
Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)
Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act
Asake (Nigeria)
Camidoh (Ghana)
Flo (UK)
Libianca (Cameroon) (WINNER)
Maureen (France)
MC Ryan SP (Brazil)
Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
Raye (UK)
Werenoi (France)
BET Her
About Damn Time, Lizzo
Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2, Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
Break My Soul, Beyoncé (WINNER)
Her, Megan Thee Stallion
Lift Me Up, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From And Inspired By – Rihanna & Ludwig Göransson
Players, Coi Leray
Special, Lizzo
Best Movie
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (WINNER)
Creed 3
Emancipation
Nope
The Woman King
Till
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Best Actor
Amin Joseph
Brian Tyree Henry
Damson Idris (WINNER)
Daniel Kaluuya
Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory Jr.
Donald Glover
Michael B. Jordan
Best Actress
Angela Bassett (WINNER)
Coco Jones
Janelle James
Janelle Monáe
Keke Palmer
Viola Davis
Zendaya
Youngstars Award
Akira Akbar
Alaya High
Demi Singleton
Genesis Denise
Marsai Martin (WINNER)
Thaddeus J. Mixson
Young Dylan
Sportswoman of the Year Award
Alexis Morris
Allyson Felix
Angel Reese (WINNER)
Candace Parker
Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams
Sha’carri Richardson
Sportsman of the Year Award
Aaron Judge
Bubba Wallace
Gervonta Davis
Jalen Hurts (WINNER)
Lebron James
Patrick Mahomes
Stephen Curry
Lifetime Achievement Award
Busta Rhymes (WINNER)
Source: Read Full Article
