Lauryn Hill to receive Living Legend Icon honor at 2026 BET Awards

“Her artistry redefined what was possible in our music and gave a generation permission to be fearless, spiritual, and free,” Connie Orlando, EVP, specials, music programming and music strategy, BET, said in a statement.

Lauryn Hill will be given a special honor at the upcoming BET Awards.

The 2026 award show, hosted by content creator Druski, will introduce the brand-new Living Legend Icon Award for an artist who “mastered their craft and never let go of the culture” at the upcoming event.

“Ms. Lauryn Hill is the very definition of a living legend,” Connie Orlando, EVP, specials, music programming and music strategy, BET, said in a statement. “Across every era, she has never chased the moment; she has shaped it. Her artistry redefined what was possible in our music and gave a generation permission to be fearless, spiritual, and free. Her influence is woven into the fabric of the culture, and it is a profound honor to celebrate her legacy on Culture’s Biggest Night.”

The 51-year-old New Jersey native rose to prominence as a member of the 90s group, Fugees, with Wyclef Jean and Prakazrel “Pras” Michel. The group is especially known for its second and final studio album, “The Score,” which covered Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and The Delfonics’ “Ready or Not Here I Come (You Can’t Hide From Love).” In 1998, Hill released her iconic solo album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”

Hill’s success is only more emphasized by the fact that she never released an album after “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which is consistently named one of the best albums of its time and of all time. The five-time Grammy award-winning project, which contains tracks like “Ex-Factor,” “To Zion,” featuring Carlos Santana, and “Doo Wop (That Thing), has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, resides in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and is lauded by the Library of Congress.

Famously elusive, Hill made an appearance at the 2026 Grammy Awards and performed a tribute honoring Roberta Flack and D’Angelo, who collaborated with her on the “Miseducation” track “Nothing Even Matters.” She was also nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year along with artists and groups like Sade, Wu-Tang Clan, and Luther Vandross.

This will be BET’s inaugural Living Legend Icon Award. The network previously honored entertainers like Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry, and Beyoncé with its Ultimate Icon Award, established in 2015. In 2025, four artists received the award: Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Kirk Franklin, and Snoop Dogg.

The 2026 BET Awards will air on June 28.