Photo Courtesy of Al Jazeera
Story by Aaliyah Johnson/Contributing Writer
The 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards, hosted by comedian Lil Duval, was a night filled with nostalgia, comedy and raw talent. The show featured opportunities for rappers to get their voices heard by the public with the BET Cypher, which included artists Kash Doll, IDK, Travis Thompson, Iman and King Los. There was also a three-round Rap Battle segment with rapper DNA being the winner in the end. The evening started out strong with a show stopping performance from up and coming artists Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby giving us a taste of the former’s songs “Hot Girl Summer” and “Cash Shit”.
DaBaby stole the show as the top performer and also by winning the biggest award of the night with Best New Hip Hop Artist. Megan Thee Stallion also had a moment of spotlight when she won for Best Mixtape with Fever. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus predictably won the award for Best Collab Duo/Group and Single of The Year with their hit song “Old Town Road.” Other awards won included Travis Scott receiving Album of The Year for Astroworld, Cardi B winning Best Hip Hop Video with “Money” and J. Cole with Lyricist of The Year.
.@DaBabyDaBaby is taking over this show and we're here for it! #HipHopAwards pic.twitter.com/HQSeG8y2q2
— BET+ (@betplus) October 9, 2019
Rapper Lil Kim took home the BET I Am Hip Hop award, the top honor of the night, for her influential personality in rap. With her explicit lyrics, outlandish fashion and the way she carries herself in general, she is paving the way for other female rap artists like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj to embrace who they are. She followed her acceptance with a performance of some of her biggest hits and brought out Junior Mafia to perform “Benjamins” and “Crush On You.”
#HipHopAwards #LilKim
This video alone shows why Lil Kim is a true innovator in hip hop and in fashion. pic.twitter.com/BEVeSSVLJc— LJ808 (@LJL808) October 9, 2019
Other performances from the show included YBN Cordae and Anderson .Paak with “RNP,” Saweetie with “My Type,” Chance The Rapper with “Sun Come Down” and a throwback performance from Rick Ross that made the audience cheer with nostalgia.
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