The Boisfeuillet Jones Atlantic Civic Center in Atlanta, GA is still scorching from the hip hop havoc brought on by the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. Hosted by Uncle Snoop, aka Snoop Dogg, or Snoop Lion, as we now know him, the two-hour show was full of delightful surprises. As always, there were a few moments that stood out among others.
First was the Cash Money Millionaires reunion with well-known rapper/producer Mannie Fresh and rapper Juvenile. As the crowd gleefully sang along, Fresh performed an impromptu version of the absent Lil Wayne’s “Go DJ” and was then joined by Juvenile to give an exciting performance of “Back That Thang Up”. Although they kept him there in spirit, Lil Wayne’s presence would have been the icing on the cake of this nostalgic performance.
Fellow hip hop diva Eve presented Hip Hop pioneer MC Lyte with the Lifetime Achievement award. The L.Y.T.E. proved why she was and still is, one of hip hop’s first leading ladies.
An unexpected moment towards the end of the show was when 90s hip hop heavyweights Bone Thugs and Harmony hit the stage with a medley of their hits, “Thuggish, Ruggish Bone” “1st of tha Month” and an explosive rendition of “Crossroads” which was a tribute to the late Hip Hop pioneer and mentor Eazy-E.
The always show stopping Lil Kim made an appearance during the third cypher.
The Real Husbands of Hollywood gave a comedic cypher of their own. Actor JB Smoove, actor Duane Martin, actor Boris Kodjoe, actor/rapper Nick Cannon, rapper Nelly, and comedian Kevin Hart under his Hip Hop moniker “Chocolate Drop”, delivered a performance that was hilarity at its finest.
But the crowning performance that still has people talking was one given by the lyrically gifted, and Album of the Year recipient, Kendrick Lamar. The Compton California native gave a rousing performance of his hit “Money Trees” along with his Top Dawg Entertainment colleague Jay Rock, but his shining moment came during the fifth cypher. Joined by his fellow TDE colleagues, the rising hip hop star delivered a freestyle that left the others floored. His current album, the features that he’s done on others’ projects, and his freestyling prowess, are just a few reasons why Mr. Lamar is dope beyond his years and a force to be reckoned with in the hip hop industry.
With these one can only what next year’s show will be like.
Kendrick Lamar’s Cypher freestyle: