BET As issued a statement in response to Lil Nas X’s new song “Late to Da Party” and his frustrations after not being nominated for a 2022 BET Award — despite having several of the biggest songs of the year.
In the song, he takes direct aim at the network opening with the line “F*ck BET.”
After sharing a preview of the song on social media, he continued to call out “the bigger problem of homophobia in the Black community.”
Lil Nas tweeted that the song was not “over no BET award… this is 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.”
this is my point exactly how can i get acknowledged by the most acclaimed award show in the world and then not even just 1 nomination from my own people? is that not crazy? am i really tripping https://t.co/aE5cCRVsFm
— ? (@LilNasX) June 7, 2022
talk to my team about what? industry baby is the 2nd longest running #1 song on the billboard rap charts of all time and didn’t get a single nomination https://t.co/9QR2qk4n0X
— ? (@LilNasX) June 7, 2022
BET released a statement in response to Lil Nas X’s criticism late Tuesday evening.
“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,” BET’s statement reads. “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. At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community,” the statement continues. “We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community.”
Thoughts?
