Lil Nas X continues with his BET Awards criticism ahead of new track's release
Jun 24, 2022
Washington [US], June 24 : American rapper and songwriter Lil Nas X, on the eve of BET Awards weekend, went after the show once again after shading it last month for not nominating him for any awards.
According to Variety, on Thursday afternoon, the rapper posted the cover image of his next single 'Late to Da Party', which depicted presumably him urinating on a BET Award in a toilet. This was a clear reference to Kanye West's 2020 social media video where he himself urinated on a Grammy.
The upcoming track might be a diss track against the BET Awards, with the rapper having previewed the opening of the song on social media. It featured him chanting 'Fuck BET, fuck BET'.
Following the announcement of BET Awards' nominations on June 1, Lil Nas had expressed his frustrations regarding receiving zero nominations for a second consecutive year.
In a since-deleted conversation, Lil Nas spoke about feeling marginalized by the awards body, which honours the achievements of Black artists in various fields of entertainment, reported Variety.
After the new track was announced on June 7, the rapper shared on Twitter that the song was "about the bigger problem of homophobia in the Black community... y'all can sit and pretend all u want but imma risk it all for us."
He also expressed frustration at being snubbed by the BET Awards, pointing out that while he receives recognition from awards bodies like the Grammys, a ceremony dedicated to Black artists doesn't recognize him.
A statement was later released by BET to address the criticisms, according to Variety.
They said, "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. 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," the statement continued.
As per Variety, the BET Awards are set to air this Sunday on BET at 5 pm PT/8 pm ET. 'Late to Da Party' will release on midnight Friday.
