Jay-Z won the BET Hip-Hop Awards' MVP of the Year trophy, beating Lil Wayne, Drake, T.I. and Kanye West. Hov also opened the show with a performance of "As Real as It Gets" with Young Jeezy. Taped earlier this month in Atlanta and aired Tuesday night (October 27), the ceremony showcased the hip-hop nation, from the New Boyz to OGs like Jigga.
And while Jay faced stiff competition, Ice Cube didn't have to go up against anybody to win. He was honored with the prestigious lifetime-achievement "I Am Hip-Hop" award.Jeezy co-presented the award alongside Ice Cube's favorite rapper.
"Without Chuck D, we'd be on a real bad collision course," Cube proclaimed during his acceptance speech. He also stated that old time rappers should not give up on the game and keep pursuing their careers.
Other performers on the show included the Goodie Mob, Snoop Dogg and Gucci Mane, who got a chance to perform all his big hits of the last few months, including "Break Up" and "Wasted." Even the legendary Kid 'N Play snuck in a dance step. Some of the most talked-about performances of the night were the ones that didn't happen in-house. Several rap cyphers were taped, resulting in standout verses from KRS-One, Eminem, Nicki Minaj and Joe Budden.(Cypher: Joe Budden, Nicki Minaj + More)
(Cypher: KRS, Wale + More)
Em's verse was a fence-clearing homerun as he brought his distinctive cadence and semi-automatic handgun flow.
(Cypher: Eminem, Mos Def + More)
"Wow! I need to hear the unedited version!" DJ Drama, who DJed the awards show, said of Em's bars. "The crowd in the house went crazy! They were so excited to even see Eminem in a cypher. He's one of the greatest spitters of all time."
Some other winners announced during the show were Drake for Rookie of the Year and DJ AM for DJ of the Year.
RELATED REPORTS:
B.E.T Hip Hop Awards BEHIND THE SCENES: Red Carpet, Backstage & Performance Pics (Before the show airs!)
Young Jeezy & Jay-Z Ready To Shoot "As Real As It Gets" Video [Jeezy Premieres "Trap or Die 2" BET Weekend- CLUB PERFORMANCE]
Dj Drama Answers Back To Jeezy "I could go deeper into his angry reaction to me working with Gucci..."
Drake spills details on his DEBUT! Also apologizes for BET performance.
