Get able to hit the basement stairs yet another time, as a result of BET simply cracked the tradition open with one announcement: a twenty fifth anniversary 106 & Park reunion is coming to the 2025 BET Awards—and sure, AJ & Free are again. The unique hosts. The blueprint. The heartbeat of each after-school hour from 2000 to 2005. This isn’t simply nostalgia; that is reparations in actual time.
In a second when timelines are clogged with chaos and we’re nonetheless recovering from “TV’s pandemic character,” this reunion seems like a balm, a therapeutic, a restoration of pleasure the millennial technology desperately wanted. As a result of let’s be actual: we’ve been by it. From pupil loans to gentrified neighborhoods and algorithmic erasure, we deserve this win. And BET is aware of what it’s doing. Bringing AJ & Free out of the vault is like summoning the ancestors of Black youth tradition and saying, “Come dance with us once more.”
In line with sources at BET, the reunion will characteristic “legendary visitors, performances, and moments that formed the tradition”—with an inventory of returning icons that would embody Bow Wow, Ciara, Terrence J, Rocsi, and possibly even a hologram second for the dearly departed. However the actual prize is the collective pleasure of a technology raised on countdowns, Rocawear matches, and seeing your faves hit that basement stage earlier than social media filtered all of it.
Let’s take a victory lap down reminiscence lane. Listed below are some of essentially the most iconic visitors and moments in 106 & Park historical past that outlined the tradition—and why this reunion couldn’t come at a greater time:
Aaliyah’s Closing Look (2001)
Earlier than her premature passing, Aaliyah made considered one of her final public appearances on 106 & Park. She floated in like royalty—sleek, grounded and effortlessly cool. The way in which AJ checked out her, like even he couldn’t consider she was actual? Pure reverence.
Ginuwine’s Paramedic Entrance
You needed to be there. No, significantly—you needed to be there. Ginuwine had the gang considering he fainted backstage. Lights dropped. Sirens screamed. Paramedics rushed him onto the set… just for him to leap up mid-stretcher and go proper into “In These Denims.” Pure chaos. Pure theater. Pure Black excellence.
Soulja Boy Debuts “Crank That”
The second that TikTok tradition owes its soul to. Soulja Boy got here by in an outsized tee, taught us the dance, and the remainder was ringtone historical past. The web hasn’t been the identical since.
Ciara’s “Goodies” Debut
Lengthy earlier than TikTok, CiCi was giving choreo on carpeted phases. That first 106 & Park efficiency solidified her because the princess of Crunk&B. Each woman within the crowd hit that “1, 2 Step” prefer it was the Olympics.
Tyra Banks Kisses Bow Wow on Reside TV
This wasn’t only a kiss. This was a generational reset. Tyra Banks, in all her supermodel, smize-certified glory, pulled Bow Wow in for a kiss stay on air—and the gang exploded. Bow regarded like each millennial boy who ever had a crush on TRL and America’s Subsequent High Mannequin on the similar time. His knees buckled. His soul left his physique. This wasn’t fan service—it was fantasy achievement. A Y2K-era fever dream come to life.
It immediately turned one of the vital replayed moments in 106 & Park historical past. For a present that specialised in countdowns, that kiss would possibly’ve been essentially the most “primary” of all of them.
Future’s Baby Closing Interview
Proper earlier than they formally disbanded, DC3 gave us one final group hug, affirmations, and sisterhood in real-time. Michelle, Kelly, and Bey held it down with grace. We didn’t cry—you probably did.