Kendrick Lamar was the big winner at the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards, winning in four categories – hip-hop artist of the year, best live performer, lyricist of the year and, with his creative partner Dave Free, video director of the year.
The BET Hip Hop Awards, hosted by Fat Joe, were taped last week at the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta and aired on BET on Tuesday (Oct. 10). There will be an encore airing Tuesday at midnight ET on BET.
Lamar wasn’t the only big winner at the show. Two successful collaborations, Drake & 21 Savage and Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, each won two awards, as did Lil Uzi Vert and Metro Boomin. Winning one award each were Ice Spice, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Black Sherif, Caresha Please (best hip hop platform) and the aforementioned Dave Free.
LL Cool J and Rakim performed a special tribute to Marley Marl, this year’s I Am Hip Hop Award winner, alongside Jazzy Jeff, DJ Technician and the Adam Blackstone Band. The show also featured a 30th anniversary tribute to So So Def and its founder Jermaine Dupri. This year’s cypher, presented by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, was deejayed by DJ E Feezy and DJ Runna.
Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes, a South African rapper who was murdered in February at age 35, was honored with the Global Visionary Award for his impact on the global hip-hop landscape.
While the strong showings by Lamar and these others were largely expected, there were some snubs and surprises, too. Take a look.
Cardi B tied with 21 Savage for the most nominations but didn’t win a single award. This is the second year in a row that Cardi has been shut out at this show. Last year, she went 0-6 on the night. She has done better in years past, winning five awards in 2017, four in 2018, two in 2019 and three in 2021. Her previous wins include MVP of the year in 2018 and song of the year twice, for “Bodak Yellow” in 2017 and “WAP,” her collab with Megan Thee Stallion, in 2021.
Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock,” which reached No. 10 on the Hot 100, won song of the year, beating a pair of songs that were notably bigger crossover hits – “All My Life” by Lil Durk featuring J. Cole and “Rich Flex” by Drake & 21 Savage, both of which reached No. 2. “Just Wanna Rock” also won best hip hop video. It’s the second work in three years to win in both categories. “WAP” by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion achieved the double win two years ago.
Both artists received seven nominations, putting them among the top five artists with the most nods, but won nothing. Burna Boy’s nods included hip hop artist of the year; DJ Khaled’s nods included song of the year and hip hop album of the year.
Though DJ Khaled was shut out, Jay-Z was a winner for his featured verse on DJ Khaled’s “God Did,” which also featured Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend and Fridayy. Here’s how BET describes the award, dubbed “Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse”: “Sometimes a guest verse from the right MC can transform a song from cool to classic. This award is for the most outstanding feature verse by an artist on a song for which he/she is not the lead artist.”
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