Beyoncé performed " Freedom " with Kendrick Lamar as the opening number at the 2016 BET Awards on June 26 . It opened with a voice-over of Martin Luther King , Jr. 's " I Have a Dream " speech as female dancers marched towards the main stage . For the performance , Beyoncé was backed by dancers wearing tribal patterns , and performed a stomping choreography in a pool of water , similar to the one performed during The Formation Tour . The stage was illuminated by red and yellow lights and filled with pyrotechnics and smoke throughout the performance . Lamar joined her towards the second half of the song , appearing from below the floor , performing his lines . Towards the end , he joined Beyoncé in the pool , where they both stomped in the water . '' Billboard '' praised their performance for its dynamic and intense choreography and its political themes
2016 BET Awards
BET Awards 2016
Freedom (Beyoncé song)