THE 2025 BET Awards is set to shine bright as four entertainment giants —Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey, Kirk Franklin, and Snoop Dogg— are set to take home the prestigious ‘Ultimate Icon Award’.
The four iconic figures have made indelible marks on their respective genres. They are being honoured for their groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact.
Carey, a multiple award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer is also an author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She is dubbed the best-selling female artiste of all time, with over 200 million albums sold worldwide and 19 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles (18 of which are self-penned). Her distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific songwriting, and producing talent is truly the template of the modern pop performance.
The six Grammys, 19 World Music Awards, 10 American Music Awards, and 20 Billboard Music Awards winner, recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of her iconic, multi-platinum 10th album, The Emancipation of Mimi.
The 7x platinum #1 album includes her hits like Don’t Forget About Us, Circles, Say Somethin’, Your Girl, and We Belong Together. Her debut record produced four Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Carey’s cultural impact has transcended the music industry to leave an indelible imprint upon the world at large. In 2009, she was recognised with the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival for her critically acclaimed role in Lee Daniels’ Precious.
A Congressional Award recipient, Carey has selflessly donated her time and energy to a range of philanthropic causes dear to her heart, including ‘Save the Music’, ‘Make-A-Wish Foundation’, ‘World Hunger Relief’, and ‘Elton John AIDS Foundation’, among many others.
As a tremendous supporter of children’s charities, both domestic and international, Carey founded Camp Mariah in partnership with the Fresh Air Fund, a retreat for inner city children to explore career development. In 2020, her riveting memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey was recognised as a New York Times #1 bestseller upon release.
Born Eric Marlon Bishop but known professionally as Jamie Foxx, the award-winning actor, singer, and comedian is known for his work in both the screen and music industries. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammys, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
He most recently starred in Back in Action opposite Cameron Diaz and the film has reached top 10 most popular of all time for Netflix. Additionally, his highly anticipated Netflix special, What Had Happened Was, debuted on the platform on December 10, 2024, to #1.
Foxx currently executive produces and hosts Beat Shazam on Fox alongside his daughter, Corinne Foxx who serves as co-host and deejay. Expanding his relationship with Fox – he recently announced an overall partnership with Fox Entertainment Studios to produce scripted and unscripted TV projects through his production company, Foxxhole Productions with his producing partner, Datari Turner.
His other executive productions include Alert: Missing Persons Unit, and We Are Family with hosts, Anthony Anderson and his mother, Doris. Also, alongside Datari, they produced an unprecedented two-part documentary film event celebrating the groundbreaking Black artistes of Hollywood called Number One on the Call Sheet which debuted on Apple TV on March 28, this year.
Prior to that, the duo also produced Luther: Never Too Much for Sony Music Entertainment, a riveting documentary about the life of music legend, Luther Vandross, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Foxx recently lent his voice to the raucous comedy, Strays for Universal opposite Will Ferrell which played in theaters August 2023. Before that, he had in 2021, voiced the lead role of the Oscar-winning animated film, Soul for Disney/ Pixar.
In December 2021, Foxx reprised his fan favorite role of ‘Electro’ in Spider-Man: No Way Home which made $1.9B at the global box office. Earlier in 2020, he had won “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” at the NAACP Image Awards and received a SAG Award nomination for “Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role” for his riveting performance in Just Mercy for Warner Bros. His memoir, Act Like You Got Some Sense, is currently available everywhere books are sold.
Foxx executive produced and starred in several Netflix projects, including They Cloned Tyrone, for which he was nominated for both a Gotham Award and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance, and Day Shift, opposite Dave Franco. He also appeared in The Burial (nominated for a NAACP Image Award) opposite Tommy Lee Jones which premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival and is now streaming globally on Prime Video.
Kirk Franklin, a 20-time GRAMMY Award-winning artiste, songwriter, producer, and music icon has for over three decades, been a transformative force in contemporary gospel music, masterfully blending Gospel, R&B, Hip-Hop, and Pop to create a unique, enduring sound that resonates across generations.
Known as one of the most impactful and innovative figures in modern music, Franklin continues to expand the reach of gospel music, redefining its place in mainstream culture. In October 2023, he released his latest solo album, Father’s Day (Fo Yo Soul/RCA), which has received widespread critical and commercial acclaim.
The album’s #1 hit single, All Things, earned him his 20th GRAMMY Award at the 2024 GRAMMYs, where it won ‘Best Gospel Performance/Song.’ This milestone cements Franklin’s status as the most decorated artiste in Gospel Music history.
Franklin’s influence extends far beyond the recording studio, as he recently headlined ‘The Reunion Tour 2.0,’ following its highly successful debut in 2023. This year’s tour featured a star-studded lineup of gospel music icons, including Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, The Clark Sisters, and Marvin Sapp, with special guest Kierra Sheard-Kelly.
Beyond the accolades and chart-topping success, Franklin is passionate about making Gospel Music accessible to new audiences. He works tirelessly to ensure the genre reaches greater heights through collaborations with renowned artistes such as Mariah Carey, Khalid, Lil Baby, Chance the Rapper, Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, Michael Jackson, and Wyclef Jean.
These ground-breaking partnerships have expanded Gospel’s influence, bringing its message of hope and redemption to diverse listeners worldwide. Franklin is equally committed to nurturing the next generation of artistes. Through his Camp Lotus, he provides aspiring musicians and singers with mentorship and resources to pursue their dreams
In March 2023, Franklin made history by becoming the first artist to achieve 100 weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Gospel Songwriters chart—a groundbreaking milestone on any Billboard songwriters’ chart. The same year, he co-hosted TV One’s dating show “The One” alongside his wife, Tammy Franklin, offering a fresh take on love and relationships.
His Sirius XM channel, Kirk Franklin’s Praise, continues to bring gospel music to millions of listeners, while his ventures into film and television further amplify his creative vision. Franklin has executive-produced acclaimed projects like BET’s “Kingdom Business” and Lifetime’s “Kirk Franklin’s A Gospel Christmas” and “The Night Before Christmas.”
Through his artistry, innovation, and dedication to community, Franklin remains a trailblazer whose impact transcends music. He continues to inspire millions around the world, using his platform to share a message of faith, love, and perseverance.
An entertainment industry mogul, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg has reigned for nearly three decades as an unparalleled force, consistently raising the bar as a globally recognised innovator.
Over the course of his storied music career, the multi-platinum rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, DJ, media personality, businessman, and icon has released 21 studio albums, sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, reached #1 countless times on Billboard charts internationally, and received 20 Grammy Award nominations.
Early this year, he was recognised as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Also, this year, Snoop and his Death Row Pictures production company entered a multi-year deal with NBC Universal Entertainment & Studios. He is set to return to NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series “The Voice” this Fall, reclaiming his red chair for Season 28.
With an incredible life story tailor made for a film treatment, Universal is currently in development on Snoop’s biopic directed by award winner Allen Hughes — Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, The Book of Eli. The untitled film will be written by Joe Robert Cole — Black Panther— and produced by Snoop, Hughes, Brian Grazer and Sara Ramaker.
The film will be the first release from Death Row Pictures, the film and TV offshoot of legendary Death Row Records, which Snoop acquired in 2022 and was the home to many of his most iconic albums, including 1994’s Doggystyle.