Amariyah Mallory 
The BET Awards did it big for the 50th anniversary of hip hop. The show opened with artist Lil Uzi Vert who is responsible for the viral hit “I just want to rock”. Immediately following were performances by major influencers of hip hop like MC Lyte, Sugar Hill Gang, and Big Daddy, who paid tribute to the late Biz Markie during his set. The order of artists flipped between the big names in rap now, and the artists who helped pioneer the sound. For the past two years the host has been actor Taraji P. Henson, but they went hostless for 2023 due to the writers strike.
Latto, Coco Jones, Teyana Taylor, Burna Boy, and Beyoncé walked away with the top awards of the night. Latto took home Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. Newcomer to the BET stage, Coco Jones, won Best New Artist. Teyana Taylor AKA “Spike Tey,” who directed “Caliber” by Jones, was awarded the Video Director of the year. Burna Boy won for Best International Act. Beyoncé took home not one but two of the biggest awards the night – the Viewers Choice Award and the BET Her Award. Busta Rhymes was honored that night with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
A performance that left me in awe came from Jones, this year’s Best New Artist. Everything was beautiful from her set design to his dress and her voice is a force to be reckoned with. But the performance that has everyone talking across social media platforms is R&B singer Patti Labelle’s tribute to the late Tina Turner who passed away in May. Memes and comments are being made about Labelle not knowing the words to the song she performed. During her performance she apologized and said she was “trying” as she constantly messes up words. According to “Good Morning America,” BET announced that Labelle was simply unable to see the teleprompter because of the audience’s enthusiasm.
I enjoyed watching this year’s Annual BET Awards as they paid tribute to those who paved the way in Hip-Hop. What was your favorite performance of the night? Leave your reaction below!
By Amariyah Mallory, Sophomore, Whitney Young
IG:Dancemari_
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