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The 2022 BET HipHop Awards lived up to the hype, as the ceremony was packed with the best and brightest of the culture receiving top honors with Kendrick Lamar leading the way.
On Tuesday night (Oct. 4), the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards premiered on the network as well as airing simultaneously on MTV2, VH1 and BETHer. Hosted by Grammy Award-nominated rapper, business mogul, and media personality Fat Joe, the Cobb Energy Centre in Atlanta, Georgia was the setting for the hottest artists in the game to receive recognition for their artistic contributions.
Kendrick Lamar dominated the evening with six wins which included Artist of The Year, Lyricist of The Year, Best Live Performer and Album of the Year, all due to his latest album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. The Compton, California MC also nabbed the top honor in the Video Director category along with Dave Free, and took home the Best Hip-Hop Video Award for his “Family Ties” video with Baby Keem.
Drake came in second with three award wins in a unique fashion. The Toronto, Canada rapper’s first win was the Best Collaboration award for “Wait For U,” the smash track he starred on with Future and Tems. He’d then win the “Sweet 16 Best Featured Verse” award by tying himself with his verse on “Wait For U” and his guest verse on Jack Harlow’s “Churchill Downs”.
Georgia represented well, as DJ Drama earned DJ of the Year and Latto’s “Big Energy” got her the Song of The Year award. Memphis’ own GloRilla earned the Breakthrough Hip-Hop Artist of The Year award, and Benjamin Epps out of France got the crown for Best International Flow. Lizzo snagged the Impact Track Award for her smash hit “About Damn Time” and EarthGang took home the award for Best Duo or Group. The Best Hip-Hop Platform award actually wound up going to Yung Miami and her Caresha Please podcast and Drink Champs, hosted by N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN.
Lastly, the iconic Trina received the I Am Hip-Hop Award for her contributions to the game. Surrounded by Trick Daddy and the rest of the Slip-N-Slide All-Stars onstage, the MC tearfully thanked her fans and supporters. “Thank you for allowing me to stay in my reign and in my lane,” she said.
