BET Awards 2012: Kanye West, Beyoncé And Kevin Hart Among Top Winners; Mom Pays Tribute To Whitney (PHOTOS)

If you thought that tributes paid to Whitney Houston at Grammy Awards 2012 were not enough to mirror her sensational success, then BET Awards 2012 definitely seemed to iron out such concerns. The 2012 edition of BET Awards struck an instant chord with Whitney's fans as her mom Cissy Houston led the tribute to the deceased artist. Cissy's rendition of the Simon & Garfunkel hit single Bridge over Troubled Water moved the audience to tears and showed why February 11, 2012, marked an untimely end of a singing genius.

Members of the showbiz did not lag behind either in expressing their solidarity to the deceased diva and her grieving family members. Everyone from Mariah Carey to Monica and Chaka Khan revved up fond memories of Whitney as they crooned hit singles on stage. Another family member who made a difference with his performance was Whitney's brother Gary Houston.

However, a sea of inadvertent expletives mouthed during the four-hour show seemed to mar the otherwise well-conceived awards night. Performances by Nicki Minaj and Rick Ross were muted to keep the audience in good spirits. The censor cops had to exercise their discretion as soon as Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music Group started performing on stage. Even the show's host Samuel L. Jackson was not immune to the bleeping process as his performance with Spike Lee of a comic version of Jay-Z and West's hit single ... In Paris came under their radar.

But what pepped up the night was the fact that the most-nominated artist Kanye West (seven nominations) took home the two coveted awards, including the Best Group and Video of the Year with Jay-Z. And Beyoncé Knowles, the second-most nominated artist (six nominations), glowed bright with the Best Female R&B Artist Award and Video Director of the Year award with Alan Ferguson.

Rev. Al Sharpton took the top honors with the BET Humanitarian Award and Chris Brown lapped up the Best R&B Male Artist and the AOL Fandemonium Award and hinted at retirement in his acceptance speech.

For a complete list of the Award Winners, run through the list compiled by the Associated Press

2012 BET Awards Winners

Best Group: The Throne (Kanye West & Jay-Z)

Best Actor: Kevin Hart

Best New Artist: Big Sean

Best Male R&B Artist: Chris Brown

Best Collaboration: Wale ft. Miguel

Best Gospel: Yolanda Adams

Best Female R&B Artist: Beyoncé

Best Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj

Lifetime Achievement Award: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

Video Of The Year: Otis, The Throne (Kanye West & Jay-Z)