BET Awards to honor Chance the Rapper, New Edition

Chicago’s Chance the Rapper will be honored with the Humanitarian of the Year award at the 2017 BET Awards, the cable channel announced Tuesday. The awards ceremony will be televised live June 25 on BET.

Also receiving a special honor at the awards ceremony will be New Edition, the 1980s R&B group featuring Bobby Brown, Ralph Tresvant, Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Johnny Gill. The group will receive BET’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Singer-songwriter Chance the Rapper is being honored for his philanthropic work, specifically, according to the announcement, for consistently “using his musical platform to support a number of impactful educational, social and political initiatives.” That includes the “My Brother’s Keeper Challenge,” a federal government initiative “to promote intervention by civic leaders in the lives of young men of color – working to address their unique challenges and to promote racial justice.”

The singer recently demonstrated his commitment to Chicago Public Schools by donating $1 million to help the cash-strapped school system, and pledging $10,000 for every $100,000 in additional funds raised.

For complete information on the BET Awards, hosted by “Saturday Night Live” star Leslie Jones, including the full list of nominees, click here.