2023 BET Awards: Winners, Losers, And Highlights

June 26, 2023 – LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – The 2023 BET Awards took place Sunday night (June 25) live from the Microsoft Theater. The show ran for about four hours, with this year’s event celebrating 50 years of Hip Hop, awarding a long-overdue Lifetime Achievement Award to Busta Rhymes.

During the award presentation, Marlon Wayans called the rap artist “in a word, brilliant,” adding, “Busta, everybody knows he deserves it, good brother, great dude.” Swizz Beatz hailed Busta for his impact on music, saying he inspired many people in the room.

A video segment showed Sean Combs, Janet Jackson, Dave Chapelle, Chuck D, and others giving Busta his due.

The award presentation and speech ran for 30 minutes, but it was worth it is seeing Busta get emotional and speak on pieces of his journey in the business.  Getting the award, he said, “All right – so… I’m going to wear it on my sleeve – I do want to cry.”

Speaking on his career, he said, “I would call the studio sets, and when I found out who was in them, I would just pop. I knew there was going to be happy to see me anyway, popping in the street,” he said. “So I would pull up to the studio, and I would act like I was working in those studio rooms the night before, and I forgot something in there.

“I got my white owl cigar, chocolate burning already, I knew once I passed it to the MCs and they saw it in that session, they couldn’t kick me out.”

He said that he made a living initially by collaborating with the artists on hand and getting paid for his contributions.

The show gave Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary its due – with celebratory events since the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in February 2022. Dozens of artists, past and present, were a part of that tribute set. Additionally, the show was performance heavy, with Ice Spice, Lil Uzi Vert, GloRilla, Coco Jones, Latto, Patti LaBelle and others taking the BET stage.

Drake led the nominees with seven, 21 Savage and Lizzo had five each, while Burna Boy, Chris Brown, Ice Spice, SZA and Beyoncé had four.

Highlights:

Offset and Quavo, the remaining members of Migos, put their emotions and differences aside to perform, paying tribute to their late friend and bandmate Takeoff. It sharply contrasted to the two rappers fist-fighting backstage at the Grammys in February after Quavo allegedly wouldn’t allow Offset to be included in a tribute to the late Migos member.

The performance, not announced publicly, came as a floor-to-ceiling rocket appeared on the screens behind the stage, and the two walked out surrounded by smoke. They went into the track “Hotel Lobby,” dancing and yelling into the mic, “Do it for Take!” The rocket then turned into a photo of the late rapper, who was fatally shot in November 2022 – getting caught up in the crossfire of a situation he had no involvement with.

The two then performed “Bad and Boujee,” nominated for a Grammy in 2018 for best rap performance. The surprise performance is the first for Offset and Quavo since Takeoff’s death. The future of Migos is unclear, but Offset’s wife, Cardi B, tweeted after the performance, “I can’t take it right now …proud of the boys,” and she isn’t alone judging by the responses online.

#BETAwards

Is that Offset AND Quavo on stage together?!!!pic.twitter.com/kuLgl0dtrN

— Rachel. (@_loveRachel_) June 26, 2023

And it was beautiful.

It was an answered prayer and what our community needs.

Please continue to celebrate their courage and give them space to grieve. #BETAwards #BetAwards2023

— Ebony Robinson (@EbonyDRobinson) June 26, 2023

Losers:

~ The BET Awards, as only six of the 21 awards were presented on the air, not to mention only 2 of the five were present to accept their awards in person. Best male and female R&B/Pop artist, album of the year, best male hip-hop artist, best group, movie, best actor and actress and sportsman and woman of the year were not even mentioned in the broadcast.

Winners:

~ Coco Jones for winning best new artist. It was a surprise considering she had just three nominations, and GloRilla came into the show with six. She also had fewer than newcomer Ice Spice. She’s the first female R&B singer (not rapper) to win since SZA won the award in 2018.

Headscratchers:

~ The iconic Patti LaBelle was not the best as she took the stage in tribute to the late great Tina Turner, who passed away in May at 83 after a long illness. While singing “The Best” in tribute to her friend, she forgot the lyrics saying, “What if I can’t see … the words … I don’t know?” LaBelle (79) said, squinting to see the teleprompter. “I’m tryin,’ y’all!” she said as the audience members watched.

::Scratching head:: – How do you not memorize or know the words to the Tina Turner song you’re singing in tribute – absurd and a tad disrespectful, maybe? Alas, she’s a Queen, and all will be forgiven and forgotten. Flashcards next time, Ms. LaBelle – written in BIG BLOCK BOLD letters.

~ Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor took home the Video Director of the Year award with her mom, Nikki Taylor accepting the award on her behalf. Mama Nikki called Taylor while accepting the trophy on Facetime, hmmmm? In any case, kudos to Taylor who beat out fellow nominees A$AP Rocky, Benny Boom, Burna Boy, Cole Bennett, Dave Free, Kendrick Lamar and Director X.

Full list of nominees and winners are below.

BEST ACTOR
Amin Joseph
Brian Tyree Henry
Damson Idris — WINNER
Daniel Kaluuya
Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory Jr.
Donald Glover
Michael B. Jordan

BEST ACTRESS
Angela Bassett — WINNER
Coco Jones
Janelle James
Janelle Monáe
Keke Palmer
Viola Davis
Zendaya

YOUNGSTARS AWARD
Akira Akbar
Alaya High
Demi Singleton
Genesis Denise
Marsai Martin — WINNER
Thaddeus J. Mixson
Young Dylan

BEST MOVIE
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — WINNER
Creed 3
Emancipation
Nope
The Woman King
Till
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Anyways, Life’s Great, GloRilla
Breezy, Chris Brown
God Did, DJ Khaled
Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance, Beyoncé — WINNER (tie)
SOS, SZA — WINNER (tie)

BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST
Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
H.E.R.
Lizzo
SZA — WINNER
Tems

BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST
Blxst
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy
Chris Brown — WINNER (tie)
Drake
The Weeknd
Usher — WINNER (tie)

BEST GROUP
City Girls
Drake & 21 Savage — WINNER
Dvsn
FLO
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Quavo & Takeoff
Wanmor

BEST COLLABORATION
“Big Energy (Remix),” Latto & Mariah Carey feat. DJ Khaled
“Boy’s A Liar Pt. 2,” Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
“Call Me Every Day,” Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
“Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” King Combs feat. Kodak Black
“Creepin’,” Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage
“F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” Hitkidd & GloRilla
“Tomorrow 2,” GloRilla & Cardi B
“Wait For U,” Future feat. Drake & Tems — WINNER

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST
Cardi B
Coi Leray
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Latto — WINNER
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj