Almost every mainstream subgenre of hip hop was represented at this year’s BET Awards. The legendary network took on the laborious challenge to celebrate 50 years of hip hop music capsulated into one music program and it only took two southern church sermons to do it!
The live annual ceremony kicked off at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday evening (June 25). Anticipation filled the room as Lil Uzi Vert appeared center stage to perform his hit single, “Just Wanna Rock,” but that was after he gave the audience a snippet of his new song from his forthcoming album, Pink Tape, in which he shouted out Ice Spice as she sat in the audience.
Shortly after, Kid Capri manned the turn tables for a sweet history lesson in hip hop’s genesis brought to us by the Sugarhill Gang, Big Daddy Kane, and D-Nice. The cypher of sorts smoothly transitioned to the first award of the night, Best New Artist, presented by reality TV stars Princess Love and Ray J. A surprised Coco Jones, who was so nervous she totally forgot to give her mother a celebratory hug, graciously accepted the award. Her inspiring speech made up for the faux pas and added to the adorable moment.
If the first fifteen minutes were any indication of what to expect for the next few hours, the 2023 BET Awards would be among the most memorable, nicely lodged between the years when Will Smith and Jada Pickett hosted and when Jay-Z and Beyonce infamously ripped the stage with a performance of “Crazy In Love.”
Into the first hour, Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor won Video Director of the Year, a much deserved award for the multi-hyphen talent who has directed music videos for Queen Naija’s “Love Language,” Macy Gray’s “Buddha,” Diddy’s “Gotta Move On,” and Rich the Kid, Latto, Flo Milli, and Rubi Rose’s “Nasty.”
“My City” rapper G Herbo showed a different side of Chicago rappers when he honored Dr. Garrick Beauliere with the Shine A Light Award for his work in the mental health field.
A well-kept surprise reunion between Offset and Quavo of the Migos consisted of a medley of the group’s radio hits as the two rappers paid tribute to their fallen peer Takeoff, who was memorialized with a spotlight shining on a rocket. The medley included the Migos’ top two hits, “MotorSport” and “Bad and Boujee.”
Latto disrupted the scene winning Best Female Hip Hop Artist, beating out powerhouse contenders GloRilla, Ice Spice, Coi Leray, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Megan Thee Stallion — and in that order. While she definitely made a moment out of the situation by accepting the award with only one shoe and referencing “her man,” it was a relief when the show transitioned to a dance-filled cypher of performances consisting of Trick Daddy and Trina, followed by Uncle Luke.
Chief Keef, another fellow Chicago rapper known for his influence on drill music, got the audience off of their feet with his 2014 song “Faneto,” from his album Back from the Dead 2. Doechii mesmerized attendees with her summertime tune, “What It Is?,” featuring a mash-up with Trillville’s 2004 banger “Some Cut.”
From there, the show easily transitioned to a segment honoring the Atlanta music scene. Young Jeezy represented the late Shawty Lo with the remix version of his iconic “Dey Know.” Ironically, his arch nemesis, T.I., came out directly after Jeezy to perform his chart-topping single “24’s” from his legendary 2003 album Trap Muzik.
Master P performed his 1997 motto “Make ‘Em Say Ugh,” but oddly enough the representation of New Orleans hip hop excluded the likes of Boosie Badazz, who was in attendance but did not perform, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Kevin Gates, Big Freedia, and the Cash Money clique. The same could be said of the representation of Houston, Texas artists. Instead, BET roamed into the roots of New York rap with a satiating ode to Jamaica culture, dancehall, and reggae.
During the “In Memoriam,” BET paid tribute to Jim Brown, Jacky Oh, Bill Russell, Bobby Caldwell, Fred White, Big Pokey, Lance Reddick, Gangsta Boo, and Harry Belafonte, to name a few. The segment ended with Patty LaBelle singing “The Best” to honor the late great Tina Turner — although there was an issue with the teleprompter causing the “If Only You Knew” singer to fumble over the lyrics. Let’s just say it wasn’t anywhere near the tribute Beyonce paid to Tina Turner when the legend was alive.
Ice Spice definitely delivered the New York aesthetics following performances by Fabolous, Styles P, and Ja Rule. The Bronx rapper seductively slithered through a creative set design dressed with a basketball court, bodega, and New York train backdrop. While BET had some pretty impressive sets throughout the show, Ice Spice easily had one of the top sets and performances this year because she didn’t lip sync and appeared in person as she does on her very viral videos.
Proceeding the show, all anyone could talk about was Busta Rhymes, 51, finally receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of dedication to his craft. It seemed like the moment would never arrive but when it finally did Busta made sure to savor the moment. His hearty acceptance speech provided details of his humble beginnings as a member of the Leaders of the New School, as he admits he was terrified by the idea of being a solo artist.
The “Dangerous” emcee went on to talk about his children being his motivation, which with the exception of one were all sitting on the first row beaming in awe at their father. In what seemed like a half-hour speech, Busta also addressed violence in rap, calling for the hip hop community to squash petty beefs.
Unbeknownst to viewers, Busta’s glorious command of the stage would extend into an even longer performance featuring a conglomerate of artists, including Bia and Coi Leray. Like this article, eventually the Lifetime Achievement segment was abruptly interrupted for TV viewers to cut to sponsors.
As the show drew to an end, it was clear that a highly-anticipated performance was left out. With all the speculation surrounding the alledged love affair between Lil Scrappy and Diamond, Crime Mob wasn’t even featured on the main stage but instead the five-member crew performed during the pre-show, a disappointment to the many fans rooting for the duo to spin the block.
Other notable performances throughout the awards show included Coco Jones, Davido, Lola Brooke, Erik Sermon, Keith Murray, Redman, GloRilla, E-40, Fat Joe and Remy Ma, Soulja Boy, and Kid N Play.
All in all, the 2023 BET Awards was a spectacular event full of top-level performances, entertaining attendees, and incredible hosts in Kid Capri and MC Lyte in light of the Writers Guild of America strike overtaking an industry heavily reliant on writers.
Check out the full list of winners at BET.com.
