BET Hip Hop Awards 2012
2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards was glittered with a lot of big stars. One of the highlights was a star-studded performance to pay tribute to Chris Lighty, the late former manager of Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, Missy Elliott and LL Cool J.
LL Cool J opened up the in-memoriam segment with a heartfelt video message. The somber tone was turned into a celebration of Chris’ life and legacy when Q-Tip and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest charged into the stage and delivered their 1993 hit “Award Tour”.
“If it wasn’t for Chris, then you wouldn’t hear music like this” – Tip shouted before retreating to the back and giving the spotlight to Busta. The rapper kept the crowd going with “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” while pictures of the late Hip-Hop mogul were flashed on the screen.
Kanye West.
Calling all hip-hop heads, tonight was your night.
Between rap crews showing off their skills through The Cypher, performances by some of the game’s biggest names – Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliot and 2 Chainz just to name a few – and, of course, finding out who came on top, the BET Hip-Hop Awards hosted by the hilarious Mike Epps – who reminded us to ratchet down the ratchetness and keep it classy – gave us quite a show.
What it didn’t give us was Kanye West or the altercation between Young Jeezy and Rick Ross backstage.
Yeezy led the race for awards after scoring 17 – yes, you read that right – nominations, but he was totally MIA from the whole shebang. Regardless, we’ve already learned through other award shows that the talent doesn’t actually have to be there to walk away a winner.
As was the case for Kanye.
But before we get to the winners, we should note some interesting points from tonight’s show. For example, 2 Chainz showed us a little bit of his piano playing, we got to meet Bad Boy’s newest member Machine Gun Kelly—who entered the stage from hanging on a rafter—and learned that Sean “Diddy” Combs can perform a song without a toothpick in his mouth.
Chris Lighty may be gone, but the trailblazing music mogul will never be forgotten. A number of Lighty-managed hip-hop stars banded together in a star-studded send-off for the mega-manager at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards, which aired Tuesday (October 9).
Hip-hop’s love for Chris was enough to even bring old foes together. 50 Cent has been warring with Fat Joe ever since the Terror Squad leader appeared on “New York” with Fif’s rival Ja Rule back in 2004. Even though both rappers were managed by Lighty, there was seemingly no end to the feud, but during the awards show, which was pre-taped on Sep. 29, the G-Unit CEO took the same stage as Joe Crack, thrilling the audience with his 2007 hit “I Get Money.”
After a heartfelt video intro from LL Cool J, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest buried the hatchet and set things off, performing their 1993 classic “Award Tour.” As the iconic hip-hop group threw their L’s up for Chris, pictures of the fallen rap hero flashed across the stage’s main screen. “If it wasn’t for Chris, then you wouldn’t hear music like this” – Tip said before passing the mic to another Lighty protege Busta Rhymes, who marched up and down the stage to the tune of “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See.”
“Chris Lighty, we’re gonna rep you until we’re all outta here” – Busta barked, before spitting his lyrics in his usual gruff style.
Lighty’s influence on the culture became increasingly apparent with each rapper who stormed the stage. Fat Joe was next up with his banger “Lean Back,” and then Missy Elliott was next with her 2001 party-starter “Get Ur Freak On.”