- Title: BET Awards celebrate 50 years of hip hop
- Date: 26th June 2023
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 25, 2023) (Reuters) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** RAPPER GLORILLA RAPPER LATTO RAPPER TYGA RAPPER ICE SPICE PRESS LINE RAPPER DOECHII (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAPPER, DOECHII, SAYING: "I think hip hop is culture, it's a movement, it's a worldwide culture, it's deeper than just hip hop and to celebrate it tonight is part of culture. This is pop culture." VARIOUS OF HIP HOP ACT, THE SUGARHILL GANG RAPPER WARREN G RAPPER E-40 WITH TRACY STEVENS THE SUGAR HILL GANG BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) THE SUGARHILL GANG MEMBER, MASTER GEE, SAYING: "It's law, it's ideals, it's concepts, it's authors. There's so many other elements to hip hop and it's constantly being revealed to the world on a daily basis." RAPPER WARREN G BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAPPER, WARREN G, SAYING: "It's a way for people to express themselves and that's why so many people love it because they can relate, you know, no matter what it is, no matter who you are, what race you are, no matter what, you can relate to it because it's conversation and conversation rules the nation." (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAPPER, E-40, SAYING: "And now, you know what I love about hip hop, you don't have to be from a certain soil. You don't have to be from the hood. You can be square as a box of apple jacks in a square-ass neighborhood and as long as your music is good and attracting and you're doing a good job, you're out there promoting it and people are loving it, why not go for it and get your money. You understand me? Because everything doesn't have to be hardcore." SOUTH AFRICAN RAPPER K.O. VARIOUS SWAZILAND RAPPER UNCLE WAFFLES GHANIAN AFROPOP ARTIST, CAMIDOH (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFROPOP ARTIST, CAMIDOH, SAYING: "For me, like, my understanding of hip hop is like freedom, you know, your freedom to express yourself in whatever way you want to express yourself so I feel like it just gives people that room to be who they are - do you know what I mean? And that is growth. That is like be yourself, be vulnerable, be whatever you want to be and just grow." SINGER QUEEN NAIJA RAPPER ARMANI WHITE RAPPER SOULJA BOY RAPPER BOW WOW GIRL GROUP FLO RAPPER FAT JOE RAPPER DABABY RAPPER T.I. MODEL, ACTOR AND TV PRODUCER, EVA MARCILLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MODEL, ACTOR AND TV PRODUCER, EVA MARCILLE, SAYING: "50 years of culture, of culture that has literally made millionaires and billionaires, that is the tone for fashion, lifestyle. I mean, Puff and the yacht and the white parties, that's hip hop. That's what you see on Instagram. It has literally driven the culture and so to celebrate them the way they deserve is rightfully so." T.I. GREETING RAPPER TOO SHORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) RAPPER, TOO SHORT, SAYING: "I think it's very important that hip hop continues to give its best effort to celebrate the creators and the trailblazers who got us to here, because it was a lot of like talent that came along that really didn't get compensated properly because you're the trailblazers, you're the early day guy, so I think the more that we congratulate and give flowers, the better it is for the whole genre of hip hop." ACTOR SHAMEIK MOORE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR, SHAMEIK MOORE, SAYING: "Hip hop is... I feel like hip hop is the Black community's true resource. There's water, there's gas, there's electricity but we own impact and yeah, where hip hop is going is about to be revealed." ACTOR JANELLE JAMES VARIOUS OF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RECIPIENT AND RAPPER BUSTA RHYMES SIGN FOR BET AWARDS
- Embargoed: 10th July 2023 04:11
- Keywords: BET Awards Busta Rhymes Hip hop History Influence
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Music,North America
- Reuters ID: LVA001265826062023RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A slew of rappers turned out for the red carpet of the BET Awards on Sunday (June 25).
This year, the award show is celebrating 50 years of hip hop, with the anniversary being held later in the year on August 11.
The show invited rappers past and present to perform for the celebration.
Contemporary rapper Doechii, who is about to go on tour with Doja Cat and Ice Spice, told Reuters "I think hip hop is culture, it's a movement, it's a worldwide movement, it's deeper than just hip hop and to celebrate it tonight is part of culture. This is pop culture."
Although many see hip hop as a musical genre, it is also seen as a creative movement.
Master Gee from The Sugarhill Gang, a hip hop act who formed in the late 1970s, said "It's law, it's ideals, it's concepts, it's authors. There's so many other elements to hip hop and it's constantly being revealed to the world on a daily basis."
Rapper E-40, who began rapping in the 1980s, said "What I love about hip hop, you don't have to be from a certain soil. You don't have to be from the hood. You can be square as a box of applejacks in a square-ass neighborhood and as long as your music is good and attracting and you're doing a good job, you're out there promoting it and people are loving it, why not go for it and get your money?"
Hip hop went from grass roots to become a major business over the years, not just with music, but also with art, fashion and more.
It has also spread to numerous other countries. Nominees in the BET international act hail from as far away as South Africa, Ghana and the UK.
Rapper Too Short, who began his career in the 1980s told Reuters "I think it's very important that hip hop continues to give its best effort to celebrate the creators and the trailblazers who got us to here, because it was a lot of like talent that came along that really didn't get compensated properly because you're the trailblazers, you're the early day guy, so I think the more that we congratulate and give flowers, the better it is for the whole genre of hip hop."
Shameik Moore, who voices Miles Morales in the animated Spider-Man/Spider-Verse films, said "I feel like hip hop is the Black community's true resource. There's water, there's gas, there's electricity but we own impact and yeah, where hip hop is going is about to be revealed."
In line with their celebration, rapper Busta Rhymes is set to receive the lifetime achievement award during the ceremony.
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