2013 BET Hip Hop Awards Recap ::Drake News ::antiMusic.com

2013 BET Hip Hop Awards Recap

10/17/2013
. (Radio.com) Before the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards aired, or were even recorded weeks before broadcast, its outcome wasn't a matter of whether Kendrick Lamar or Drake would win awards. Instead, it was a matter of how many and, perhaps more importantly, who would win more? Also, after Lamar's infamous "Control" verse� calling out Drake and Lamar's other various contemporaries� how would they treat each other at the show?

It turns out Tuesday night (October 16), Lamar edged out Drake. The L.A. rapper scored five including Lyricist of the Year and Album of the Year for good kid, m.A.A.d. city; Drake scored four including Best Hip-Hop Video for "Started from the Bottom"� but the two never came face-to-face to show respect or otherwise. Drake was absent from the proceedings.

And where Drake's name rang out in his absence from the show, Lamar's was everywhere, even on the Hip Hop Awards' cyphers, a giant tag team of diverse and usually up-and-coming rappers spitting run-on verses to camera. It was arguably Lamar's best and most confident screed since "Control."

It showed that while critically and commercially successful� scoring an opening spot on Kanye West's upcoming tour, plus being a big winner that night� Lamar was still the hungriest rising star in hip hop and he shows no signs of being stopped.

The BET Hip Hop Awards was full of new blood in general, featuring artists like A$AP Rocky, French Montana and producer Mike WiLL Made It, who had little to no visibility in rap music five years ago. How new was the new blood? The BET Hip Hop Award for Rookie of the Year, A$AP Ferg, had his major-label debut released nine weeks ago. Check out the winner list and videos here.

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