The 2014 BET Hip-Hop Awards are officially in the books. In one of the few programs that still puts on for the culture, this show is always more about the performances than it is the actual awards. Hosted by none other than the coolest rapper in the world, Snoop Dogg, the 2014 rappers extravaganza was sure to be entertaining.
The show began with an electric performance of the summer smash “No Flex Zone” by Rae Sremmurd, and never seemed to skip a beat thereafter. Uncle Snoop hit the stage to begin the awards portion of the evening, which didn’t happen often. BET only presented a handful of the awards on the actual show, which allotted more time for some of the artists to do their thing.
Common‘s performance was one of many highlights of the show. The Chicago MC brought out Mike Brown‘s parents for an awesome and very moving moment. Shortly thereafter, BET honored the human beatbox himself, Doug E. Fresh, with the ‘I Am Hip-Hop‘ Award. The legendary entertainer got a little chocked up during his acceptance speech as he honored his fallen mother, whom he’d lost five weeks prior to the taping of the show. And being the amazing performer that he is, Fresh regained his composure for an impromptu performance of “La Di Da Di” with Big Snoop Dogg. With the crowd singing along, the two legendary artists provided a cap to another awesome hip-hop moment.
As the show continued on, we got more and more performances, which also included a reunion of some of hip-hop’s legendary ladies. Brandy united with Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Yo-Yo, for a remixed rendition of her classic R&B hit “I Wanna Be Down”.
All in all, BET did an awesome job at blending the old with the new and put on a great show. However, some of the blending seemed like a slight stretch with Treach and Lil Mama appearing in cyphers with some of hip-hop’s new blood. And while David Banner‘s inclusion in one of the cyphers also seemed a bit random, his message was extremely powerful.
In addition to the Mississippi MC’s very potent 16, there were quite a few that stood out. Verses from Snow tha Product, Logic, Detroit Che and a back and forth with hip-hop’s reunited married couple Remy Ma and Papoose, were all worthy of a rewind. However, the most lethal wordplay came at the very end courtesy of Murda Mook. The Harlem MC appeared alongside battle rappers Arsonal, Calicoe and Couture, in a live edition of the cypher. With a rumored battle with Drake brewing, Mook took the perfect opportunity to send a few shots at the Young Money MC:
King of battle rap, comfortable in first place/ Here, finish line is all mine, heard Drake?/How you flashbackin’ to actin’, it’s real here/Cripple your career, put it back in a wheelchair/ Get killed here/Ain’t no chill here/My demeanor/Don’t play the field here/ De-gras-si, it ain’t greener.
Whew! We’ll have to wait and see what develops from this potential showdown. In the meantime, you can continue on to see the complete list of winners, as well as each of the cyphers from the 2014 BET Hip-Hop Awards. Once you’re finished, be sure to check out all the performances and comedic sketches throughout the show. Let us know what you think!
Best Hip-Hop Video
Drake – “Worst Behavior”
Best Collabo, Duo or Group
YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan – “My Hitta”
Best Live Performer
Kanye West
Lyricist of the Year
Kendrick Lamar
DJ of the Year
DJ Mustard
Video Director of the Year
Hype Williams
Producer of the Year
DJ Mustard
MVP of the Year
DJ Mustard
Album of the Year
Drake – Nothing Was the Same
Who Blew Up Award
Iggy Azalea
Made You Look Award
Nicki Minaj
Hustler of the Year
Dr. Dre
Best Club Banger
Future f/ Pharrell, Pusha T & Casino – “Move That Dope”
Track of the Year
“My Hitta” – Produced by DJ Mustard (YG f/ Jeezy & Rich Homie Quan)
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
Kendrick Lamar – “Control” (Big Sean f/ Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica)
Best Mixtape
Wiz Khalifa – 28 Grams
People’s Champ Award
Drake – “Worst Behavior”
Impact Track
Common f/ Vince Staples – “Kingdom”
Best Hip-Hop Online Site
Worldstar Hip-Hop
Taylor Gang Cypher ft. Wiz Khalifa, Berner, Ty Dolla $ign, Juicy J, Chevy Woods & Tuki Carter
Dee-1, Lil Mama, Logic, O.T. Genasis & Detroit Che
David Banner, King Los, Treach, Vic Mensa & Snow Tha Product
Remy Ma, Papoose, Jarren Benton & Corey Charron
Murda Mook, Calicoe, Arsonal & Couture with DJ Premier
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2014 BET Hip-Hop Awards Re-Cap + Cyphers [VIDEO] was originally published on theurbandaily.com