‘We love Lil Nas X,’ insists BET after musician was kicked out of BET Awards nominations | Nation
After Lil Nas X accused BET of never really rooting for him anyway, the network released a statement Tuesday defending its values.
The Grammy-winning rapper and singer has delivered a series of criticisms – and a diss track – to the media company in recent weeks after being left out of BET Awards nominations for the second year in a row. But BET says the snub was unintentional.
“We love Lil Nas X,” the organization said in a statement Tuesday.
“He was nominated for BET’s Best New Artist Award of 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice: he performed ‘Old Town Road’ with Billy Ray Cyrus on ‘BET Awards’ 2019 and its ‘BET Awards.’ The 2021 performance was a highlight of our show. No one clapped louder that night than BET.”
Last year, BET invited Lil Nas X to perform his single “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” at the BET Awards after it was not nominated and fans of the pioneering musician accused the show of homophobia. Others, like “Pose” star Angelica Ross, have also criticized the network in the past for allegedly excluding LGBTQ people.
During his dynamic performance at the 2021 BET Awards, Lil Nas X made a powerful statement by locking lips to the air with one of his male dancers.
Earlier this month, the ‘Industry Baby’ hit-maker called out the BET Awards for snubbing it yet again, tweeting, “thank you betting awards. outstanding zero nomination… black excellence !”
“I don’t even have to be nominated,” he added in a follow-up tweet. “I just feel like black gay people have to fight to be seen in this world and even when we get to the top [they] try to pretend we’re invisible.”
It should be noted that the genre-defying superstar collected five nominations – including nods for album, record and song of the year – at the 64th Grammy Awards after releasing her critically acclaimed debut album. , “Montero”.
Although Lil Nas X ended up deleting his initial comments on Twitter, he came back on Tuesday with a snippet of a new song with the lyrics, “F—BET! F—BET!” The full version of her collab with rapper YB, titled “Late to Da Party,” is coming soon.
After teasing his next project, Lil Nas X said by Twitter, “it’s not over” and linked this year’s BET Awards nominations to “the biggest problem of homophobia in the black community”. Hours later, BET released their response.
“Unfortunately, this year, [Lil Nas X] was not nominated by BET’s Voting Academy, which is made up of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers and creative arts,” BET said.
“No one at BET is a member of the Voting Academy. 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 to all the many crossroads of the black community.
Actor Taraji P. Henson will return as host as the 2022 BET Awards air June 26 at 8 p.m. ET on BET from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
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