When the 2016 BET Awards kicked off Sunday night (June 26) and Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater grew dim, a surprise performance from Beyonce followed, but it was Kendrick Lamar's appearance that made the occasion momentous.

Bey's dancers filed into the room -- check out Samuel L. Jackson staring them down -- and headed straight to the stage to the sound of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Then the former Destiny's Child frontwoman proved why she's leading the game as she blessed the crowd with the Lemonade cut while dancing in ankle-deep water.

To the surprise of viewers and the audience, K. Dot showed up front and center to deliver his verse on the track. "I could be more than I gotta be/Stole from me, lied to me, nation hypocrisy/Code on me, drive on me/Wicked, my spirit inspired me," he rapped.

Before Bey and the Compton native closed out their set, they went crazy in the pool of water, kicking and splashing around. The singer then threw her arm around Kendrick in a sign of solidarity.

Kendrick is nominated for Best Male Hip Hop artist, a category he competes in with Drake, Fetty Wap, J. Cole, Kanye West and Future, and Video of Year for "Alright," going up against Bryson Tiller's "Don't," Drake's "Hotline Bling," Rihanna's "Work" featuring Drake and Beyonce's "Formation."

See 50 Fire Hip-Hop Albums You Need to Listen to This Summer

More From Hot 107.9