T.I. kicked off the BET Awards with a performance that mixed late-career victory lap with the tease of a final chapter, performing “Top Back” and “Let ‘Em Know” as his farewell album looms.
The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles saw the 2026 BET Awards open Sunday night with a performer who has long treated the ceremony as a home turf. T.I., descending onto the stage atop a golden crown, went directly into “Top Back,” a track from his 2006 album King. The symbolism was blunt—a hip-hop royal acknowledging his title—but the set moved quickly from legacy to present momentum.
After the crown came his latest hit, “Let ‘Em Know.” Female dancers waved checker flags as T.I. perched on a car driven by his son King, then jumped into the crowd. The song, produced by Pharrell Williams, has marked a chart resurgence in 2026 and earned him a Video of the Year nomination. He closed with a simple, “It’s the king,” and a full room’s applause. It was the kind of entrance that has defined his BET history, but this one carried a different undercurrent.
T.I. announced earlier this year that his twelfth solo album, Kill the King, will be his last before retiring from rap. That news makes every stage appearance feel like a step toward the end of a long run. He entered the night with three nominations
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ROMBO Editorial Staff
The collective voice behind ROMBO Magazine’s news, reviews, features, and cultural coverage.
