Watch: Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Usher, Jay Z, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, & More Perform At 2014 BET Awards

All eyes tonight in the urban music world were tuned into BET for their annual award show. The main show kicked off at 8PM EST and ran up to almost 4 hours while the pre-show with Karrueche and Bow Wow (or Shad Moss) on the red carpet started up at 5 PM EST. Just like last year, this year’s event was held at the Nokia Theatre venue in downtown Los Angeles.

Surprise appearances were the theme of this year’s show and it started early as Missy Elliott came out to assist Pharrell on the opening performance. Chris Brown made his return to the spotlight with the assistance of Lil Wayne and Tyga performing his hit single ‘Loyal’. New Orleans singer August Alsina brought out Trey Songz (Yes, the beef is over) and Chris Brown for ‘I Luv This Shit’. Other artists who touched the stage include names like Nicki Minaj, Usher, Iggy Azalea, T.I., John Legend, Jhene Aiko, Robin Thicke, and Jennifer Hudson.

Jay Z and Beyonce, who are currently on their ‘On The Run’ tour, weren’t among those listed to perform before the show but a commercial aired about an hour in advertising them as performers. It turned out too good to be true as when the time came for them to hit the stage, BET just threw on a video of them performing the ‘Partition’ remix in Miami last week.

One of the most memorable moments in the night came during BET’s Lifetime Achievement award presentation to Lionel Richie. Richie himself actually went on stage and performed several of his classic songs.

Check out the 2014 BET Awards performances below.