The BET Awards delivered an exciting night of tributes for Prince and Muhammad Ali between calls for action over gun violence, civil rights and presidential politics. These are the top moments from Sunday’s awards show held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

After BET dissed the Billboard Music Awards for their Prince tribute in May, the cable network lived up to that challenge by honoring Prince with tributes throughout the show.

The first of many performances was introduced by comedian Dave Chapelle, who said “that literally our hearts were broken” over the death of Prince on April 21.

Artists such as the The Roots, Erykah Badu, Bilal, Maxwell, Stevie Wonder and more gave a multifaceted reflection on the late artist’s musical gifts.

Highlights included Bilal’s falsetto singing and his rolling on the floor performance, Jennifer Hudson’s emotional rendition of “Purple Rain” with Mr. Wonder and Janelle Monae’s rocking medley and Prince-inspired outfits.

But BET ended on a high note when drummer Sheila E., Prince’s longtime friend, collaborator and onetime fiancée, took the stage to close out the show. She wailed on the drums in between singing a medley of songs featuring a full band, with a horn section and dancers that got the crowd moving.

There was no subtlety to the political messages during this year’s award show, with multiple references to the upcoming presidential election – none of them in favor of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

There was a very direct warning from Taraji P. Henson, who won the best actress award.

“For those who think, you know, ‘He’s really not going to win’ – think again,” Ms. Henson said during her acceptance speech. “We really need to pull together and turn this country around.”

Earlier, co-host Tracee Ellis Ross urged people to vote and added, “Welcome to the White House, Hillary Clinton.”

Finally BET Chairman and CEO Debra Lee championed the recent Democratic sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives over gun control legislation and called for a stand against gun violence during upcoming local and national elections.

After a long night of political points, actor and activist Jesse Williams delivered the night’s most powerful statement after receiving a humanitarian award honoring his work for equal rights.

Mr. Williams demanded an end to police violence against African-Americans, mentioning the names of several victims. He received a standing ovation.

“We know that police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day,” Mr. Williams said. “So what’s going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country, or we will restructure their function and ours. “

But he also called out commercialization of black culture, armchair critics and “conditional freedom.”

Even Samuel L. Jackson, who received a lifetime achievement award, applauded Mr. Williams later, saying it was like hearing from a 1960s activist.

When Beyoncé’s dancers paraded down the BET Awards red carpet prior to the show, the rumors of an unannounced performance solidified.

A barefoot Beyoncé in a fringed black outfit opened the awards show with her song “Freedom” in ankle deep water with dancers splashing around beside her, in a preview of her popular Formation World Tour.

To top everything off, Kendrick Lamar emerged out of the floor and danced with Beyoncé while the stage glowed red behind them.

Unfortunately, Beyoncé was not on hand to accept her awards later during the show, as her mother explained that she had to immediately jump on a plane to London for her tour.

The BET Awards also paid tribute to another cultural icon – the late boxing champion Muhammad Ali – with a heartfelt speech by his daughter, Laila Ali.

Known as the “Greatest of All Time,” Mr. Ali had a huge influence on hip-hop artists either through his pre-fight speeches or through his personal struggles and spiritual convictions. He died on June 3 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.

His daughter, also a retired boxer, got choked up as she stood in front of a photo of her father holding her as an infant.

She closed her speech with a simple, but important request, saying, “If he was here today, he would ask you to pray not just for our family, but for all of mankind.”