This year’s edition of the BET Awards will televise live from Los Angeles on Sunday, June 25. It will be the latest awards show to celebrate five decades of the hip-hop genre.
The Grammys and the Juno Awards also paid homage to hip-hop with a 50th-anniversary salute on their 2023 editions in February and March, respectively.
This will be the 23rd edition of the BET Awards, which dubs itself “Culture’s Biggest Night.”
“We are thrilled to be back in L.A. for BET Awards 2023 and to celebrate a huge cultural milestone – the 50th anniversary of hip-hop,” Connie Orlando, EVP specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, said in an official communique.
“For five decades, hip-hop has not only influenced American culture but has become a global phenomenon and one of the most influential musical genres of our lifetime. From music to fashion, art, and entertainment, we are honoured to have always provided a platform for hip-hop to thrive. We look forward to paying tribute to the pioneers and innovators as we amplify the new generation of hip-hop artists as only BET can.”
This year’s venue hasn’t yet been finalized. The event has been held at the Microsoft Theater every year since 2013, except for the 2020 show, which was a virtual production due to the pandemic.
Actress, Taraji P. Henson hosted the 2021 and 2022 BET Awards, becoming the show’s first repeat host since Black-ish stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross co-hosted in 2015-16. Other hosts since the show moved from the Shrine Auditorium to the Microsoft Theater have been Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, Leslie Jones, Jamie Foxx and Regina Hall. (Amanda Seales hosted the 2020 show.)
Orlando will executive produce this year’s show, with Jamal Noisette, VP, specials, music programming & music strategy to co-executive produce for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.
Truthfully, the BET Awards has been the top-rated cable award event among all adults 18-49 for the past two years and has been the No. 1 cable award show among Black adults 18-49 for the past 21 years.
We hope to see an epic show in June.
© 2023 • Story By Edem Latsu Nukafu
Writer’s email: edemlatsu093@gmail.com
