Last night in Los Angeles, Prince was honored by BET with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The 52-year-old musician has been making music for over 30 years. With this honor,  he now joins the likes of James Brown, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross. The tribute which featured Janelle Monae, Esperanza Spalding, Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle celebrated Prince’s music and powerful stage presence.

Beginning his recording career in 1977, Prince went on to become one of the most influential rock musicians, with 10 platinum albums and 30 Top 40 singles to his name.

Hosted by Queen Latifah, The BET Awards also honored John Legend with the Humanitarian Award for his philanthropic work in Africa. Upon receiving his award John Legend addressed the audience saying, “Accountability brings about change. Demand it. Do your part.”

Last night’s show was also about comebacks, with Kanye West opening up the award show, after an industry hiatus, performing his newest single “Power.”

Another highlight was El Debarge’s set that brought the audience to its feet. Formerly the lead singer of the family group Debarge, El Debarge returned to the stage to perform many of his previous hits.

However, the true success story of the night was Chris Brown’s Michael Jackson tribute that had fans from Diddy to Michael’s own brother, Jermaine Jackson saluting Chris Brown. After a tumultuous year that almost crushed the young’s star’s career, Chris Brown poured his heart and soul to the tribute many felt was long overdue.

At the end, Brown broke down while singing “Man in the Mirror.” A song that truly was an apology to the world, asking for a second chance. Upon receiving BET’s Fandemonium Award, Brown addressed his fans, thanking them for their continuous support, “I let you all down before, but I won’t do it again. I promise you.”