BET Hip Hop Awards BTS Party With Fat Joe & Boosie Juve + Mannie, Brat Makes Grand Return!!!

Drake recently dubbed Atlanta "the most important city in rap" and the culture got the opportunity to prove him right last night during the taping of the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards.

The festivities made their way to the black-and-green carpet for the ultimate gathering of rap talent ... Boosie Badazz was especially turnt up before the show -- and during, when Fat Joe gave him a shout-out from the stage.

Joe hosted the awards and he greeted the press and media alongside his wife and daughter, Lorena and Azariah Cartagena.

Speaking of family, Da Brat flaunted her bounce-back game after giving birth to her first child a few months ago alongside her wife Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart.

DC Young Fly linked up with Chingy while continuing to push forward in the wake of his partner Jacky Oh's death -- just like he told us he would and Cash Money Millionaires Juvenile and Mannie Fresh teased a new collab and Swizz Beatz was in the mix as well.

The winners will be announced next week when the event airs.

PREMIOS BET HIP HOP FIESTA DE BTS CON FAT JOE & BOOSIE

Drake recientemente ha apodado a Atlanta como "la ciudad más importante para el rap" y ayer por la noche fue la oportunidad de demostrar que tenía razón durante la grabación de los 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards.

Las festividades se dirigieron a la alfombra verde y negra para la reunión definitiva del talento del rap. Boosie Badazz estaba especialmente excitado antes del espectáculo y durante, cuando Fat Joe le dio un grito desde el escenario.

Joe fue el anfitrión de los premios y saludó a la prensa y a los medios junto a su mujer y su hija, Lorena y Azariah Cartagena.

Hablando de familia, Da Brat hizo alarde de su recuperación tras dar a luz a su primer hijo hace unos meses junto a su mujer Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart.

DC Young Fly se unió a Chingy mientras sigue adelante tras la muerte de su compañera Jacky Oh!, tal y como nos dijo que haría. Cash Money Millionaires Juvenile y Mannie Fresh anunciaron una nueva colaboración y Swizz Beatz hizo lo suyo también.

Los ganadores se anunciarán la semana que viene, cuando se emita el evento.

Boosie Badazz SNUCK TEQUILA BOTTLE INTO BETs After Denial at Gate!!!

Boosie Badazz was caught in 4K acting brand new at this year's BET Awards, and has zero shame in his game about it!!!

As we reported back in June, Boosie was released from jail on a $100k bond for illegal gun possession, just a day before the BET Awards -- an occasion he treated like Christmas, he tells DJ Vlad in their latest sit-down.

Boosie says his legal issues this summer left him drained and BET provided him with the perfect pick-me-up ... but they also tried to kill his vibe by not letting him bring a full bottle of Casamigos into the venue!!!

The Louisiana rapper says the bottle he was sneaking in was actually the 2nd one he consumed that day ... and a quick-thinking Boosie says he grabbed a towel from outside and used it to drape over his shoulder ... perfectly concealing the contraband!!! 😈

Once inside the awards, Boosie couldn't contain his excitement watching Latto perform "Put It On Da Floor Again" -- and did just that when he fell outta his chair!!!

Boosie says all the women in the venue looked good and he had the time of his life.

He should probably anticipate a stricter security check next year, though.

Trina Not Pregnant, Despite BET Rumors

Rapper Trina is not pregnant, TMZ has learned ... despite some serious fan speculation after her recent performance at the BET Awards.

ICYMI, Trina took the stage over the weekend to honor 50 years of hip hop with Trick Daddy at the big award show ... however, her performance sent fans into a debate about whether or not she's in fact pregnant.

TYPICAL TRINA
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A rep for Trina tells TMZ ... "She is not pregnant despite fans' speculation following her performance at the BET Awards. Just like any other woman, her weight fluctuates. She is asking for fans to just move on from this."

Trina's debunked pregnancy rumors before, having to shoot down theories back in 2021 after the BET Hip Hop Awards -- and she's spoken out about her struggles with her weight in the past, but it looks like people are assuming yet again.

Some of Trina's fans came to her support, though ... bashing others for rapidly jumping onto the pregnancy boat.

Lil Uzi Vert & JT Couple Quarrels At BET Awards JT Throws Phone … Team Denies Ice Spice Caused It

Lil Uzi Vert and his City Girls girlfriend JT got into a heated argument during the BET Awards ... with many fans believing Ice Spice is to blame for the fight.

Video circulated of JT from the show Sunday night whacking Uzi Vert with her phone multiple times, accusing him of being a "groupie."

PHONEY PUNCHES

Fans speculated she was pissed about Uzi's performance during the BET Awards where he shouted out Ice Spice, rapping, "I got a nice wife/Wig came off twice/She got a little afro, she looks like Ice Spice."

Sources inside JT's camp tell TMZ Hip Hop her blowup with Uzi had nothing to do with Ice  ... she had become frustrated when she lost her seat after the audience shuffled around. We're told JT loves Ice and there's not even a shred of beef between them whatsoever.

A fan recount of the altercation appears to confirm the musical chair's confusion. Ice can also be seen explaining her side of the situation.

Uzi and JT left the building together without another scene ... seemingly confirming they're good.

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Angel Reese LSU Hoop Star Wins 2023 BET Award 'Sportswoman Of The Year'

Angel Reese just keeps stackin' up trophies ... the LSU hoop star and 2023 NCAA champ just won a BET Award -- and she was hyped!

The annual ceremony went down Sunday at the Microsoft Theatre in downtown Los Angeles ... where some of the top rappers, singers, and entertainers won awards.

That included 21-year-old Reese, whose squad won the 2023 NCAA championship, beat out female stars like Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Candace Parker, for the Sportswoman of the Year award.

"Thank you BET!" Reese said on Twitter after the announcement. "So sad I couldn’t be there but I really appreciate this! This means a lot!"

The 21-year-old forward couldn't be in L.A. to receive her award in person ... 'cause what else -- she was hooping.

"I’m at USA basketball right now trying to win a gold medal when I could be at the BET awards," Reese tweeted to a fan.

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Reese was named to the Team USA roster for the 2023 women's FIBA AmeriCup, a tournament held every two years with top female players from around the globe.

The US women's first game is against Venezuela on July 1.

When it comes to male athletes, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took home BET's Sportsman of the Year award, beating LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Steph Curry, Aaron Judge, Gervonta Davis, and Bubba Wallace.

Congrats Angel and Jalen!!!

Patti LaBelle BET Tribute to Tina Turner Goes Awry ... Appears to Forget Lyrics

i'm trying y'all ...
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Tina Turner got the tribute treatment at the BET Awards from Patti LaBelle -- but it seems the R&B legend didn't know the late icon's own lyrics onstage ... and it played out live.

The singer was doing an homage to Tina Sunday night during the broadcast ... undoubtedly a huge moment in the show considering TT passed away last month. Patti was a natural choice to sing her songs -- but in the middle of her performance, she stumbled.

Check it out ... while PLB was cranking out Tina's classic hit "The Best," she paused for a bit and said she couldn't see the words. It got a laugh from the crowd, and Patti carried on as best as she could. However, her confession definitely spurred a lot of head scratches.

On its face, it looked like Patti was reading the lyrics somewhere off in the distance ... and hadn't actually memorized them. That was later confirmed to be true by BET itself.

TMZ INVESTIGATES
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A rep for the org says, "It was an extraordinary privilege to celebrate the life and legacy of Ms. Tina Turner at BET Awards 2023. Having the incomparable Ms. Patti LaBelle on our stage honoring one of her contemporaries was an equal privilege."

They tried covering for her, adding ... "Due to the crowd's enthusiasm, the teleprompter was obstructed, obscuring Ms. LaBelle’s view of the lyrics. Nonetheless, we couldn’t be more grateful to Ms. LaBelle for lending her incredible talent to this moment."

Like we said, no true harm or foul -- and it ended up being a funny moment big picture. But, truth be told, some were kinda disappointed in Patti for not being better prepared ... especially in a big tribute to another musical great on such a grand stage.

BTW, this ain't the first high-profile mishap Patti's suffered ... remember back in the '90s when she was singing for the Clinton White House, and her whole "backup singers" fiasco??? Yeah, that one wasn't really her fault ... but this sure does have echoes of that.

Better luck next time, eh?

Diddy Woman Arrested for Brandishing Gun Outside BET After-Party

A woman trying to make her way into Diddy's BET after-party was arrested outside the mogul's house after she allegedly flashed a gun at other partygoers.

LAPD sources tell TMZ ... the woman was in her car near Diddy's house and a security checkpoint for the event very early Monday morning, and got pissed off that other cars weren't clearing out of her way fast enough. We're told she pulled out the weapon and waved it at folks she believed to be causing the delay.

Police were called and they rushed to the scene, where they found the 30-year-old woman had already been detained by Diddy's security team. Cops searched her car and found a loaded handgun.

A source at the party tells us the woman was not invited to the party, and more importantly -- never made her way inside the event. We're told she was trying to make her way past the first security checkpoint when the incident occurred.

She was taken into custody and booked for possession of a loaded firearm -- she was later released on her own recognizance. Thankfully, no one was injured in the dust-up.

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DIRECTOR DIDDY
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Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, Yung Miami, Tiffany Haddish, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Bobby Brown, Karrueche Tran and many others were at his crib for the festivities -- thankfully everyone was ok.

Diddy BET After Party with Mary J, Yung Miami ... Some Work, Lots of Play!!!

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DIRECTOR DIDDY
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Diddy had a lot to celebrate following the 2022 BET Awards, but turned his celebration into work as well -- shooting a project with Mary J. Blige and Yung Miami.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video from inside the after party -- at Diddy's L.A. mansion -- where he appeared to be directing a music video ... most likely something for his upcoming R&B album on Motown Records.

You can even hear Mary singing over the smoothed-out track as Miami raps ... a fitting kick-off to the new Love Records movement.

The backdrop for the shoot looks mighty familiar -- reminiscent of one Diddy used for his iconic "Mo Money, Mo Problems" music vid.

At one point, Diddy told onlookers to refrain from filming as he was trying to get the set-ups correct with Miami's Quality Control manager Pierre “Pee” Thomas.

It wasn't all work, though -- it's a Diddy after-party, after all -- as Chris Brown, Tiffany Haddish, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, Bobby Brown, Karrueche Tran and many others showed up at his crib for the festivities.

Earlier on Sunday, celebs packed into L.A.'s Microsoft Theater to see Diddy receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards.

DIDDY LEAD THE WAY
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As we reported ... Ye even made a rare, these days, public appearance to honor Diddy, who he called a longtime mentor ... professionally and personally.

Chance The Rapper & Babyface Chillin' At BET Awards … New Collab On the Way!!!

If you saw Babyface and Chance The Rapper all buddy buddy at the BET Awards and thought ... "Hmm!! That's interesting" -- you're spot on, because it turns out that was more than just a photo-op, it was quite intentional.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop Chance and 'Face have been collaborating in the studio with hopes to use the record as part of Babyface’s upcoming project.

BF has written loads of hits with the likes of Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Bobby Brown and many, many more … and we hear he keeps up with all waves of music and genuinely took a liking to Chance. It's similar to how he and Ella Mai got together for their recent track, "Keep On Fallin" … which they performed Sunday at the BET Awards.

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Face's last project dropped more than 7 years ago, and we’re told by our studio sources he’s aiming to come back in a major way with hip hop influences added to the recipe … hence Chance The Rapper’s involvement.

Kanye West at BET Awards Yeah, I'm Declaring Myself Dead ... But I'm Here to Honor Diddy

DIDDY LEAD THE WAY
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Kanye West popped up for a rare appearance ... this time at the 2022 BET Awards ... to pay tribute to his favorite artist -- Diddy.

Kanye made a surprise appearance Sunday night, at L.A.'s Microsoft Theater ... dressed head to toe in black.

HONORING KIM
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Ye took the stage to honor Sean "Diddy" Combs, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kanye gave a lengthy speech ... calling Diddy his favorite artist and talking about the impact he's had on his own life.

Kanye said, "I go to him for advice to this day. He inspires so many of my choices, so many of my life choices. My wife choices". He also let folks know he's taking a hiatus and wanted to "declare myself dead" .... but says, he wanted to make sure he was there for Diddy.

Of course, Kanye has mainly been off the grid, since April ... after pulling out of Coachella.

I'll Be Missing You
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Moments after the intro from Kanye and Babyface, Diddy took the stage. He dedicated the moment to his ex, Kim Porter, who died back in 2018. He said, "I just want to say thank you to Kim."

Even though Diddy and Kim split in 2007, they stayed close friends, co-parenting their 3 children. He honored her with the song, “I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Evans, saying, "Baby girl, this is for you... I miss you so much, baby."

Jussie Smollett All Eyes On Me At BET Awards ... Twitter Roasts Him

Jussie Smollett is back in the limelight just 3 months after getting released from prison ... after attending the BET Awards and getting incredulous reactions online.

The actor showed up at Sunday night's ceremony in LA, all smiles ... telling ET he's excited to be "expanding his empire."

He was asked how he feels about working his way back into Hollywood, but Jussie doesn't see it that way -- he says this has always been the plan.

Twitter was on fire as JS walked the red carpet and took his seat ... memes were created in his name, while some called out BET for allowing "race-baiting liars" in its space.

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IF I DID IT
SWAY'S UNIVERSE

Sunday night's host, Taraji P. Henson, has been a vocal supporter of Jussie -- they both worked on "Empire" ... but she was silent about her co-star during the ceremony.

Jussie still insists he did not lie about what he says was a homophobic and racist attack, because IF he had lied he'd be a total piece of s**t -- and he claims everyone knows he's not that.

FYI -- Jussie's got a new project on the horizon, and he's working with BET to get it done. The upcoming project "B-Boy Blues" is his directorial debut, with the platform geared to put it up on their streaming service.

BET Awards 2022 Celebs Behind The Scenes ... Culture's Biggest Night!!!

The BET Awards are going off tonight, but what TV cameras can’t show you is how hyped the celebs are behind the scenes.

The audience is full of big names at the Microsoft Theater in LA Sunday night ... Lena Waithe, Cynthia Erivo, Billy Porter, Janelle Monáe, Ari Lennox, Ella Mai, and Lucky Daye -- to name a few!!!

Everyone from the front to the back had good vibes all night with Taraji P. Henson hosting ... and those A+ performances kept them on their feet.

Lizzo kicked the night off in all gold, performing one of her hits -- and you know it was "About Damn Time" for a flute solo.

Jack Harlow brought out Lil Wayne and Brandy for his debut performance ... this coming after the guy got in a little heat -- he recently admitted he wasn't aware of the impact she made in the R&B game.

Latto's W was one of the biggest of the night -- she took home the award for Best New Artist, and the crowd clearly had her support.

A lot of winners used their speeches to call out the Supreme Court overturning Roe V. Wade last week ... while urging everyone watching to vote and make their voices heard.

Shyne Makin' A Comeback At The BET Awards!!! ... Honoring Diddy's Lifetime Achievement Award

Rapper Shyne is jumping back into the music scene in a big way ... he's set to join a ton of artists at the BET Awards to honor one of the biggest names in the game.

The Belizean rapper-turned-politician is gearing up to take the stage for Sunday night's ceremony ... in recognition of Diddy's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Shyne's going to be performing one of his classics from 2000, "Bad Boyz" ... the guy hasn't done the song live much -- once in a lifetime opportunity for fans to witness.

Shyne's been getting into politics since laying down track after track in the industry ... he currently lives in Belize where he serves as Leader of the Opposition and the Ambassador of Music. He's also in Belize's House of Representatives.

The night's going to be filled with huge performances like this one ... for Diddy alone, Shyne will be taking the stage with Mary J. Blige, Nas, Lil' Kim, Busta Rhymes, The Lox, Bryson Tiller, Faith Evans, Jodecia and The Maverick City Choir.

Lil Wayne Performing at BET Awards ... Tha Carter Meets Tha Culture's Biggest Night!!!

Add Lil Wayne to the list of superstar rappers taking the stage for the 2022 BET Awards ... TMZ Hip Hop's learned he'll be performing Sunday.

Weezy F. Baby is a late addition to the award show's lineup, but you can expect nothing short of an uproar performance -- and it's a big treat for his fans after a few mishaps.

Wayne recently had to bow out of a couple of festival shows -- the Governor's Ball in NYC, and Strawberries & Cream Fest in the U.K.

But, now he'll bring his infinite bag of hits to the BET Awards.

The show will be live from the Microsoft Theater in L.A. ... where Taraji P. Henson will throw down as host, and Roddy Ricch, Jack Harlow, Lizzo, Chance the Rapper and many more will perform.

As for the actual trophies, Doja Cat leads all artists with 6 nominations ... followed by Drake and Ari Lennox, Kendrick Lamar and several others.

The festivities begin Sunday night at 8 PM/7 PM Central. If you're a fan of hip hop and R&B, this is the award show for you.

Lil Nas X It's 'F*** BET Day' Teases Disrespectful Diss Song!!!

LOUD AND CLEAR
UPDATE

7:54 PM PT -- BET has shared a statement with TMZ Hip Hop pointing out their love for him ... despite what he clearly feels.

UPDATE

"We love Lil Nas X. He was nominated for a Best New Artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice: he performed "Old Town Road" with Billy Ray Cyrus at "BET Awards" 2019 and his "BET Awards" 2021 performance was a highlight of our show. No one cheered louder that night than BET."

UPDATE

"Unfortunately, this year, he was not nominated by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in the fields of music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers, and creative arts. No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy."

UPDATE

"At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community. We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community."

It appears Lil Nas X isn't going to let the 2022 BET Awards skate after snubbing him of any nominations this year ... to the point, he's created a diss track going after the network.

A topless Lil Nas X posted a snippet of an upcoming new song on Tuesday we'd be surprised is called anything but "F*** BET."

After starting the song off with the disrespectful phrase on repeat, LNX goes into an auto-tuned flow where he brags about his riches and even proclaims he has "100 sticks" at his disposal.

Following the announcement of nominations last week, LNX went haywire when he realized he missed the Best Male Hip Hop and Pop Artist categories and no mention of his hit singles "INDUSTRY BABY" or "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)."

INCLUSION IS KEY
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He blamed discrimination and Queen Latifah even agreed he should have been nominated for at least something.

LNX's gripes feel a bit heavy-handed seeing he was nominated in 2020 and got primetime exposure in June 2021 when he kissed his boyfriend.

But, there's no putting the genie back in the bottle … apparently it's "F*** BET" if you're Team Montero until further notice.

Originally Published -- 3:17 PM PT

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