Snoop Dogg Honored With ‘I Am Hip Hop’ Award At BET Hip Hop Awards As Politics Takes Center Stage

Snoop Dogg was honored with the “I Am Hip Hop” award at the BET awards, which were filmed last night outside Atlanta.

SNOOP DOGG HONORED AT POLITICAL BET AWARDS

Rapper Kendrick Lamar introduced Snoop and presented him with his award. He “paved a way into many hearts” with his authentic rap style and charisma. Many legends came to pay homage to Snoop, including Dr. Dre and Pharrell Williams.

“He mastered the game through tests and challenges that earned him the respect of a college professor, except his game came from the streets,” Lamar added. “He put [me] on game, so I would avoid the same pitfalls… Snoop Dogg was the God, and continues to be so.”

Snoop accepted his award and offered advice to his fellow rappers and aspiring hip hop artists. “To all the young rappers in the game, a lot of people don’t understand you. Y’all are misunderstood,” he said. “I was misunderstood at the beginning. So you got to keep pushing, be original and diverse. Hip-hop was created many years ago and it’s taken people so many places. You have to be who you are.”

Snoop said it was “amazing” to be honored by BET. He rose to fame under the guidance of Dr. Dre in 1993 with his first album Doggystyle. “He means so much to hip-hop,” said Young Jeezy. “There are so many who look up to him. He paved a way for so many, and that’s why everybody knows him as Uncle Snoop.”

The evening focused its attention on the recent and frequent police brutality issues against black people in this country. T.I. performed his song “We Will Not” wearing all black, while attendees held signs that said “Black Lives Matter.” At the end of his performance, the rapper added, “they can’t kill us all.” Rappers Big K.R.I.T. and Lecrae used poetry to express their thoughts, and radio host Sway Colloway announced “we’re at war.”

The night also featured many performances and recorded freestyle sessions (The Cypher) by Gucci Mane, host DJ Khaled, Lil Wayne, and Kevin Hart. Lamar won for Lyricist of the Year, while Fat Joe and Remy Ma won Track of the Year for “All the Way Up.” Hustler of the Year went to DJ Khaled and Best New Hip-Hop Artist went to Chance the Rapper.

The BET Hip Hop Awards will air on Oct. 4 on BET.