Chris Brown triple winner at 2015 Bet Awards

Los Angeles: Chris Brown has emerged as a big winner at the 2015 Bet Awards as the rapper walked away with three prizes including the best male r&b/pop artist trophy.

The R&B singer, who has had a string of legal and personal woes in recent years, also took home the Fandemonium Award and the Coca-Cola Viewers' Choice Award for Only, his collaboration with Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Lil Wayne at the US TV network's annual prize giving, which celebrates the best music and movies by African-Americans and other minorities over the past year.

Upon accepting the fan-voted Fandemonium prize, Brown, 26, acknowledged how much has changed since he was last on the stage in 2014, especially after finding out he is the father of a young girl with former flame and model Nia Guzman.

"A lot has changed in my life. A lot of mistakes, a lot of lessons learned. The thing I'm most thankful for is my daughter. At the end of the day, love is love...

"My fans - when I'm in jail, (song) Loyal was number one. Last year, I was fat on this stage, dancing, trying to get my stuff together - but right now, I can only say I'm so thankful and happy to have my loyal fans right now, because without y'all I can't do my music," he said.

Meanwhile, Beyonce, who was not present for the prizegiving, was the top female of the night, also scoring three trophies, for Best Female R&B/Pop artist, Video of the Year (7/11) and Video Director of the Year.

And days after announcing her highly-anticipated comeback tour and her first album in seven years, Janet Jackson was feted with the inaugural Ultimate Icon: Music Dance Visual Award in recognition of her iconic music videos over the years.

Other stars taking the stage for performances included Kendrick Lamar, Janelle Monae, Brown, The Weeknd, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj, the cast of hit US hip-hop drama Empire, and Patti LaBelle, who made a surprise appearance as she joined Tamar Braxton and K Michelle as they sang her track "If Only You Knew".