At the recent BET (Black Entertainment Television) Hip Hop Awards, which will premiere across Africa on Saturday 13 October on TopTV (Channel 190) and My TV at 21h00 CAT, Kanye West retained his throne, winning seven trophies at the seventh annual awards event in Atlanta, Georgia.
His awards included Best Live Performer and Producer of the Year. 2 Chainz had a great night too, taking home three trophies, including the People’s Champ Award and Rookie of the Year as well as performing at the show. Rick Ross beat heavy-hitter Jay-Z for MVP of the Year, but Hov’s business acumen earned him the Hustler of the Year title.
Kendrick Lamar provided the biggest upset of the night, when the rookie rapper bested veterans Nas, Jay-Z and Kanye West for Lyricist of the Year, while Drake and Lil Wayne earned the top spot in the Video of the Year category for their HYFR clip.
Hosted by US funnyman Mike Epps, the BET Hip Hop Awards delivered an exceptional night filled with Hip Hop’s biggest stars and highly anticipated performances. Wiz Khalifa opened the show with a performance of Work Hard / Play Hard featuring Juicy J and Young Jeezy accompanied by a live band.
In a night that showcased Hip Hop at its best, other highlights included: Meek Mill’s performance of Amen and Young and Gettin’ It featuring Kirko Bangz; Kendrick Lamar introducing a medley of his popular songs, The Recipe and Swimming Pools; G.O.O.D. music star 2 Chainz taking the stage to perform Birthday Song and I’m Different; Rick Ross’ performance of Hold Me Back joined by Omarion for their single Ice Cold and Atlanta’s own T.I. entertaining the crowd with newest singles Trap Back Jumpin and Go Get It. Future featuring Diddy, French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly and Uncle Luke had everyone on their feet with Turn on the Lights, Same Damn Time, Wild Boy and Pop That.
Closing out the show with pure star power, Violator artists reunited on stage in honour of late music mogul, Chris Lighty – a Tribe Called Quest, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Spliff Star, 50 Cent and <<= Joe paid their respects during an unforgettable performance with some of Violator Music’s biggest hits and Chris Lighty’s personal favourites. Rakim was presented and honoured by his peers with this year’s I AM HIP HOP ICON award for his seemingly effortless style and delivery that stems not just from Hip Hop, but from Jazz and R&B influences. Always a key highlight at the awards are The Cyphers – short black and white clips in which the best emcees in the business show off their best freestyling skills. Among this year’s Cyphers were Snoop Dogg, T.I., DMX, A$AP Rocky, Cassidy, Mystikal, Talib Kweli and B.o.B. The African broadcast of the BET Hip Hop Awards will be repeated on Wednesday 17 October at 23h00 CAT.
