Hostless BET Awards Honor 50 Years of Hip-Hop With Lively Performances

The 2023 BET Awards honored the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with dozens of performances that played like a musical family reunion as pioneers of the genre blazed the stage during a hostless but party-filled show held during the writers strike.

The Sugarhill Gang, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte, Doug E. Fresh, Erick Sermon and Keith Murray performed Sunday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, celebrating rap music and honoring its roots as well as its domination in pop culture.

Ja Rule, Red Man, E-40, Master P, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Styles P, T.I., Fabolous, Trick Daddy, Trina, Uncle Luke and Skillz hit the stage, helping the four-hour-show flow during the writers strike, which several presenters acknowledged before giving out awards, including Grammy-winning singer Muni Long.

“Let’s take a moment to acknowledge and stand in solidarity with the artists who make us laugh, cry and, most important, think — our Writers Guild of America family. Writers are, in many instances, the glue to the execution of artistry and storytelling. Our ability to extract emotion for performers, helping them to articulate their voices and visions to the world is irreplaceable,” said Long, a respected songwriter who has written songs for Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, H.E.R. and Mary J. Blige.

“The protection of the writer is crucial. We simply must protect our intellectual property.”

Kid Capri helped the night go on without a hitch, spinning classic hip-hop records and introducing performers like D-Nice, Warren G, Yo-Yo, Kid ‘n Play and 69 Boyz — who performed short versions of their songs — following commercial breaks.

Patti LaBelle’s tribute to Tina Turner was also a highlight — but not for completely good reasons. LaBelle sang “The Best” and flubbed some of the lyrics, telling the audience: “I can’t see the words. I don’t know. I’m trying y’all.”

But she championed through the performance, as the audience cheered her on, hitting high notes and later joined by 10 background singers. “God bless you, Tina Turner,” she said.

Busta Rhymes earned a standing ovation as he received the lifetime achievement award. He removed his glasses to wipe tears from his face. “I do wanna cry,” he told the audience.

Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Dave Chappelle, Pharrell and Diddy highlighted his legacy in a video package, while M.O.P., Rah Digga, Coi Leray, Bia and more paid tribute with a performance. Rhymes also performed his major hits.

Others were emotional during the show, including rapper Latto, who won best female hip-hop artist. She beat out Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice, Coi Leray and GloRilla.

The “Big Energy” performer screamed in her seat and tried to remove her heels before running to the stage. “Shout-out to all the other women in the category [and] all of the women who paved the way for this to even be possible. This category is going crazy this year,” she said with one shoe on.

She went on to thank other female rappers who said she should have been nominated, including Doechii, Flo Milli, Maiya The Don, Mello Buckzz and TiaCorine.

“Shout-out to all the women — we killing it. This is the year of the female, [the] year of women. Hopefully we’re going to see an all-female tour, you feel me, very soon,” Latto said.

Bel-Air actress and R&B singer Coco Jones cried onstage after collecting the best new artist award. This year she launched a hit with the R&B ballad “ICU,” which she performed in strong form under misty rain.

“For all of my Black girls, we do have to fight a little harder to get what we deserve, but don’t stop fighting. Even when it doesn’t make sense and you’re not sure how you’re going to get out of those circumstances, keep pushing because we are deserving of great things y’all,” Jones said.

Teyana Taylor was named video director of the year, and her mom was present to accept her honor. As she began to give a speech, she decided to video call her daughter and shared her screen with the audience.

“What is happening?” Taylor asked. “You won!” her mom replied. 

“Oh shit!” Taylor said, jumping in her seat. She rattled off thank-you’s but her speech cut off as “weak wifi” appeared on her mom’s phone screen.

The night also paid tribute to those in hip-hop who have died, from icons to recent performers, while Capri played songs by Tupac, Nate Dogg, Guru, Pop Smoke, Young Dolph and more.

After performing, Big Daddy Kane told the crowd: “I would not be in this business or this stage tonight if it weren’t for this one person.” That’s when Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” played as the crowd sang the rap tune.

“Rest in peace, Biz Markie,” Big Daddy Kane said.

Quavo and Offset of Migos performed with a light beaming in between them to represent Takeoff, who died in November. As a rocket ascended, a photo of Takeoff with his hand pointing to the sky appeared on the large screen. Quavo wore the number 94 on shirt, representing the year Takeoff was born, and the duo ended their performance by making the letter T with their arms.

During the live show, Beyoncé — who is on tour — won the BET Her and viewer’s choice awards for “Break My Soul.” Several awards, including album of the year and best female R&B/pop artist, were not handed out during the telecast.

The BET Awards kicked off with MC Lyte introducing the night’s performers and presenters, which was immediately followed by a performance by Lil Uzi Vert. Other performers included Ice Spice, GloRilla, Doeechii, Davido and Lola Brooke.