Source: Mark Sagliocco / Getty
“Culture’s biggest night,” aka the 2022 BET Awards, was missing one person, Lil Nas X. The rapper decided to speak on his relationship, or lack thereof, with the network.
Lil Nas X & BET Were Never On The Same Page
Ahead of the BET Awards 2022, Lil Nas X made it clear how he felt about the network and its annual awards show after he was snubbed. In a statement issued to Rolling Stone, the “Old Town Road” crafter revealed he and the network had not seen eye-to-eye, alluding to some behind-the-scenes issues.
“My relationship with BET has been painful and strained for quite some time. It didn’t start with this year’s nominations like most people might think,” Lil Nas X said.
“They did let me perform on their show last year, but only after [I gave] assurances that I was not a Satanist or devil worshiper and that my performance would be appropriate for their audience,” he added.
People in Lil Nas X’s camp who chose to remain anonymous confirmed Lil Nas X’s comments.
“The response we got back [last year] was, ‘We need to clarify a few things. Is he a Satanist? Are there going to be elements of devil worship or Satan in the show?’ I was so taken aback by it,” according to one source.
“At some point after [Lil Nas X] got offstage, one of the BET producers came up to me, and before I could even open my mouth, he looked at me and said, ‘That was really f**ked up,’” another anonymous source added.
Lil Nas X & anonymous members of his team speak on the #BETAwards pic.twitter.com/boZjLtLYQt
— 𝙈𝘼𝙅𝙊𝙍
(@lilnasxmajor) June 26, 2022
Lil Nas X confirmed the source’s statement.
“They say that ‘no one cheered louder’ for me than them that night, but the BET Awards team was actually very upset that I kissed my dancer onstage and vocalized their discontent with multiple members of my team immediately following the performance.”
BET Defends Itself
As expected, the network is defending itself. A spokesperson for the network said the “summation of events around Lil Nas X’s 2021 BET Awards performance is simply untrue.”
“Since last year’s performance, we have been in touch to work on other projects,” the spokesperson continued. “We are still excited about his previous performances and continue to wish him well. But today, we are focused on culture’s biggest night and delivering history-making moments for fans worldwide,” the spokesperson told Rolling Stone.
This latest revelation in the Lil Nas X VS. BET saga comes after the rapper slammed the network on Twitter ahead of the 2022 BET Awards and dropped a diss track with NBA YoungBoy called “Late To Da Party (F*CK BET).” The single’s artwork features someone taking a leak on a BET Award.
We hope Lil Nas X and BET can squash their beef before next year’s BET Awards.
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Photo: Mark Sagliocco / Getty
Source: Hip-Hop Wired