Why was Chief Keef banned from the BET Awards?
The Chicago-born rapper will perform at the 2023 BET Awards - a star-studded event celebrating 50 years of hip-hop.
The 2023 BET Awards will bring together some of the biggest names in hip-hop for Sunday night’s event which promises to be the best ever.
The network, which describes itself as “the ultimate platform to showcase the best, brightest and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience”, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.
1973: hip-hop is born
Clive Campbell AKA DJ Kool Herc is credited as being the godfather of hip-hop and a one of the most influential figures on the scene as it was emerging in the West Bronx neighborhood of New York City. He was one of the first to use two turntables to loop breakbeats from obscure funk 45s as the genre emerged and developed at New York block parties.
Unlike his contemporaries, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc preferred to stay underground rather than venture into the mainstream music industry. The Sugarhill Gang are credited as having the first rap record to chart - Rapper’s Delight was released in August 1979 and they will be among the artists performing at the 2023 BET Awards.
The bill features hip-hop stars from the various different eras, Big Daddy Kane, Kid ‘N Play, and MC Lyte from the late 80s, considered the golden age of the genre, alongside big names from the 90s - Warren G, Ja Rule and Fat Joe.
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Banned for no-show
One of hip-hop’s most influential figures from more recent times, Chief Keef will perform for the first time at the ceremony. The 27-year-old was banned by the network in 2013 under mysterious circumstances. Chief Keef explained why he was banned in an answer to a fan on Twitter in 2014. He says he was blacklisted for failing to turn up when he was a guest on the 106 & Park show. “BET banned me along time Ago Becuz I didn’t attend 106 Cuz I ain’t fuckin feel like it! I was gettin high”. Chief Keef was apparently unhappy at not being invited to perform at the 2013 BET Awards, which featured Chris Brown, Robin Thicke, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg and R Kelly among others.