Chairman and CEO of Black Entertainment Television (BET) Debra L. Lee kicked off the BET Awards 17 with her annual PRE event. The magical evening took place at The London West Hollywood in Beverly Hills yesterday evening.

The private and star-studded celebration toasted the best in music and entertainment, in advance of the 17th year of the BET Awards. Leslie Jones, Ava DuVernay, Tamar Braxton, Remy Ma, Bryshere Gray, Boris Kodjoe, and others were there to celebrate with Lee.

The CEO welcomed the celebrities, 2017 BET Awards nominees, industry titans and music elite to the festivities, and personally introduced French Montana, who took the stage for a fantastic performance which included his latest hits “All The Way Up” and “Pop That.” Throughout the evening, the VIP attendees enjoyed gourmet bites and socialized. DJ D-NICE and DJ Millie were on deck to spin records.

The BET Awards 17 will air on Sunday, June 25th from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones will host the event. This year’s performers include Future, Migos, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, DJ Khaled, Big Sean, Post Malone, Roman GianArthur and Jessie Reyez. A$AP Rocky, French Montana, Gucci Mane, SZA, Swae Lee and DJ Khalid were also just recently added to the lineup.

This year, legendary R&B group New Edition will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Chance The Rapper will receive the Humanitarian Award.

Check out some dope pics from the PRE event below.

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The 2017 BET Awards will air Sunday, June 25  at 8 PM ET on BET.