Thanks to the pal Amoura I got a chance to attend the taping of the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards yesterday at the Civic Center in Atlanta. To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to to expect. It's BET and I've learned not to expect much from them so I definitely wasn't holding my breath.
To my (pleasant) surprise, it wasn't that bad. I mean Gucci Mane performed way too many times and I could have definitely done without the Dorrough and Soulja Boy performances. But as far as I know there weren't any petty fights in the parking lot or Kanye-esque interruptions to report. It was a smooth show for the most part.
The show definitely started off on a great note and ended with a bang. Young Jeezy performing alongside Jay-Z for the shows opener and Goodie Mob closed the show with the always classic "Cell Therapy" and "Get Rich To This."
Special honors were given to Missy Elliott, Fatima Robinson, and Ice Cube. I definitely had no problem with that...all three of them are great at their crafts. I was kind of expecting B.o.B to win the newbie award, but I definitely wasn't shocked when Drake (who wasn't in attendance) took the award instead. The major awards, including album of the year, weren't announced for obvious reasons. I guess they have to keep some things secret until the show airs in two weeks.
With bloggers and Twitter, I'm getting the feeling that award shows might be forced to air their shows live in the near, near future. What do ya'll think?
Oh, and for those of you curious that is Nicki Minaj's ba-donk-a-donk in that picture. She's really working that whole "sex sells" thing, huh? I kiiid, I kiiid!! But speaking of Nicki Minaj, I was actually really impressed by the cipher's they taped for this years show. Among the artists included in the cipher's were Nicki Minaj, Joe Budden, Wale, KRS-1, Eminem, Mos Def, Black Thought, and more. My fav's were Minaj, Budden, and Eminem...they killed it!
I kind of wish BET would change the whole format of the Hip Hop Awards and give it that real Hip Hop feel that people will probably get when they watch the ciphers.
That about wraps it up for me. Umm...we saw Big Boi and Jim Jones in the parking lot. And there was no partaking in any post-award activities. Just Club Dreamland pour moi.
Pic courtesy of On Tha Real Magazine.