Woo-Hah!
BET honored the year’s best in music, TV, film and sports at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 25. This year’s event celebrated 50 years of Hip Hop and awarded Busta Rhymes with their annual Lifetime Achievement Award.
Following a playful roast by actor and comedian, Marlon Wayans, a tribute video by Busta’s long-time collaborators Diddy, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, and Pharrell among others kicked off the celebration of “Hip-Hop’s mayor”.
“I just am grateful that the blessing that has been bestowed upon me and this gift that I’ve been given and this fire that continues to burn as a passion in my soul that allows me to get in any situation from the stage to collab and with whoever,” the emotional 51-year-old rapper said during his touching speech.
“We gonna stop these little petty beefs that we be doing in rap.. Y’all messing up the bag,” he later addressed in regards to the beefs in Hip Hop. “Y’all messing up the energy. I don’t like when I talk to these dudes that run these streaming platforms and they’re talking about, ‘You know, we turning the consumer off because there’s so much little this and little that going on with you rappers.’ We’re gonna stop that. We’re gonna love each other, and we gonna get to this money. We’re gonna stop this narrative like we don’t love each other, this divide thing. It’s corny. It’s tired. It’s wack.”
Busta then hit the stage with Swizz Beatz and kicked off his electrifying performance with MOP’s “Ante Up”, his A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario” remixes, “Look At Me Now”, “Break Ya Neck,” “Give It To Me,” “New York Shit,” and “Touch It”. He also brought out members of his Flipmode Squad.
Bus also performed his “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See”, and then rightfully brought out Coi Leray for their “Players” remix before giving his first televised performance of his brand new single, “Beach Ball” with BIA.
Some highlighted performances including Offset and Quavo reuniting as the Migos for their tribute performance to Takeoff and a series of performances of 50 years of Hip Hop. Redman, Keith Murray and Erick Sermon’s brought the golden era of 90’s, Kid Capri, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and more celebrated the ’80s, and Bobby Shmurda, Chief Keef, and The Ying Yang Twins visited the generations of trap rap.
Warren G, Yo-Yo, YG and Tyga repped the West coast, Trina Trick Daddy, and Uncle Luke took us to the South, and Mad Lion and Patra brought the Jamaica to the arena for their dancehall tribute. Other performances during the evening including Lil Uzi Vert, Latto, Ice Spice, GloRilla, Doechii, Trillville, Davido, Crime Mob, Rae Sremmurd, and many others.
This year, the ceremony awarded a couple of ties including SZA’s S.O.S. and Beyonce’s Renaissance for Album Of The Year. SZA also took Best Female R&B/Pop Artist and Video of the Year for “Kill Bill,” while Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” received both the Viewers Choice Award and the BET Her Award.
Chris Brown and Usher were also tied for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Coco Jones was honored this year’s Best New Artist.
Kendrick Lamar and Latto were both crowned this year’s Best Male and Female Hip Hop Artist, Drake and 21 Savage earned Best Group, and Future’s “Wait For U” featuring Drake and Tems earned Best Collaboration.
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