The 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards took place in Atlanta on October 3 and were hosted by Fat Joe. Kendrick Lamar was the night’s biggest winner, taking home four awards, including Hip Hop Artist of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, Best Live Performer, and Video Director of the Year (shared with Dave Free, his pgLang collaborator).
In other categories, Drake and 21 Savage won Best Duo/Group and Hip Hop Album of the Year for “Her Loss.” Lil Durk and J.Cole’s “All My Life” won Best Collaboration and the Impact Track awards, and Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock” was victorious in both the Song of the Year and Best Hip Hop Video categories.
The awards also celebrated various hip-hop talents. Ice Spice received the Best Breakthrough Hip Hop Artist award, JAY-Z was honored with the Sweet 16 award for his verse in “God Did,” and 50 Cent was named Hustler of the Year. Metro Boomin won both Producer of the Year and DJ of the Year, Caresha Please was recognized as having the Best Hip-Hop Platform, and Black Sherif won the Best International Flow category.
The ceremony featured several notable moments, including Marley Marl accepting the I Am Legend award and LL Cool J performing “Around The Way Girl” in tribute. Rakim performed “Paid In Full,” and Jermaine Dupri celebrated his So So Def record label with a medley performance featuring Ludacris, Nelly, Da Brat, Bow Wow, Chingy, Lil Jon, and others.
Throughout the night, there were performances by DJ Drama, Fabolous, Jeezy, T.I., DaBaby, Sexyy Red, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, GloRilla, Fivio Foreign, City Girls, and more. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, who received the Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award, hosted the cyphers, which featured Lola Brooke, Symba, Cassidy, Scar Lip, Foogieraw, Lady London, Gloss Up, and Bun B.
The 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards celebrated the best in hip-hop and showcased the genre’s vibrant culture and talent.
