A Recap of the BET Awards 2012: Whitney Tribute Shines

Cissy Houston remembers her daughter, D'Angelo makes a TV comeback and Kanye shows crew love.

THE ROOT -The vibe was hot -- literally -- as the stars made their way down the red carpet into the 2012 BET Awards, where sweat was the most common accessory under the blazing Los Angeles sun. A sense of transition was a subtle theme that developed over the course of the show, with 2012 being the last year the Shrine Auditorium would host the annual celebration of black pop culture before moving over to L.A. Live.

The show opened with the G.O.O.D. Music crew of Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz and Kanye West emerging from a giant Lamborghini onstage to run through the song "Mercy," giving the censors a workout with a steady barrage of expletives. A few slipped by the mute button as they segued into West's "Way Too Cold," which references Kim Kardashian ("And I'll admit, I had fell in love with Kim/Around the same time she had fell in love with him") and her ex-husband Kris Humphries' status as a New Jersey Net ("Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team") as she beamed from her front-row seat. West made a point to shout out Rodney King and Whitney Houston during a rousing, set-ending a cappella freestyle.

One of the funniest moments of the night followed when host Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee did a comedic version of Jay-Z and Yeezy's "Niggas in Paris," referencing a range of celebrities from Nicki Minaj and Young Jeezy to Denzel Washington and Halle Berry.

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