Angela Simmons recently stepped out for the 2024 BET Awards rocking an unconventional accessory, which has since sparked a great deal of backlash. Photos of Simmons posing with a bedazzled gun-shaped purse circulated online shortly after the event, and many social media users weren’t feeling it. She later clarified that she in no way intended to offend anyone, and simply liked the bag’s design. “I’m not violent,” she explained. “I’ve obviously been through a lot in my personal life when it comes to gun violence and it’s very personal to me.”
Simmons also took to Instagram to issue a heartfelt apology, revealing that she “deeply” regrets her decision to carry the purse. Now, Yo Gotti has taken to his own page to address the fallout. He seems to be taking a drastically different approach, however.
“She just practicing,” In an Instagram Story posted earlier today alongside a series of gun and laughing emojis. “LOL.” While fans can’t blame him for standing by his girlfriend amid the controversy, some think that he went about it the wrong way. After all, she just issued a formal apology for the purse, which he’s now seemingly condoning. He’s left social media users split, and debating about whether or not Simmons even deserved any backlash in the first place.
“Not him adding fuel to the fire she trying to put out!” one commenter says. “I’m happy he made a joke cause she did not have to apologize at at all,” another writes. What do you think of Angela Simmons arriving at the 2024 BET Awards with a bedazzled gun purse? What about Yo Gotti’s reaction to the backlash she’s now facing? Did he do the right thing or not? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Will Smith appeared to enjoy Childish Gambino bringing him up during his speech at the BET Awards on Sunday night. In a new video circulating on social media, Smith can be seen watching along backstage as Gambino complains that he has more Grammys than the legendary entertainer, but fewer BET awards than Sam Smith. Gambino’s lone win came with Video of the Year for his hit song, “This is America,” in 2019.
“I’m really excited to be here, but I want to get some things on my chest first,” Gambino began. “This isn’t personal, but I just feel I should have more BET Awards. I’m serious. It’s the Black Entertainment Television Awards. How much more entertaining do I have to do?” He continued: “It’s just the math of the fact, because it doesn’t really make sense. I have more Grammys than Will Smith – which makes no sense – but I have the same amount of BET Awards as Sam Smith. Does that make sense to you guys? Me and Sam Smith are neck and neck, at the Black Entertainment Television…” Check out Smith’s response to the speech below.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 30: Donald Glover AKA Childish Gambino speaks onstage during the 2024 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 30, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Gambino was on stage to present Killer Mike with the award for Album of the Year for his project Michael. Earlier in the night, he was up for Best Actor but lost out to Denzel Washington. He also performed a tribute for Usher who took home the Lifetime Achievement award.
Gambino’s comments come as he prepares for the release of his next film, Bando Stone & The New World. The first single from the soundtrack to the movie drops on Tuesday. Be on the lookout for further updates on Will Smith, Childish Gambino, and the BET Awards on HotNewHipHop.
In case you missed it, Donald Glover made waves at the 2024 BET Awards this weekend when he took the stage to lament his lack of historical success at the awards. He joked, “It doesn’t really make sense: I have more Grammys than Will Smith, which makes no sense, but I have the same amount of BET Awards as Sam Smith. Does that make sense to you guys? Me and Sam Smith are neck-in-neck at the Black Entertainment Television…”
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) July 1, 2024
Will Smith, it turns out, is a fan of the bit.
On Instagram yesterday (July 1), Smith shared a video of himself in what looks like a hair and makeup room, watching the aforementioned part of Glover’s speech on a TV. He laughed after he was mentioned, then let out a bigger laugh at the Sam Smith punchline.
Glover was up for Best Actor at this weekend’s show, ultimately coming up short as the honor went to Denzel Washington. Glover was also part of the massive Usher tribute performance, opening the multi-artist medley by singing Usher’s “U Don’t Have To Call.”
The 2024 BET Awards has been a hot topic since it aired this weekend, and unfortunately, it’s gotten a fair bit of criticism from viewers. The Usher tribute, for example, left some fans confused and convinced that it could have been executed in a better way. He also delivered a heartfelt speech while accepting his well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award and ran into some serious audio issues. TikTok food reviewer Keith Lee even got a shout-out from host Taraji P. Henson, which got awkward, to say the least.
Henson made her way through the crowd to celebrate different attendees by handing them roses, stopping in front of Lee and his wife to highlight him. She mistook him for another influencer sitting nearby, Jordan Howlett, prompting him to redirect her attention to Lee. “I got caught up in my own inner monologue, I’m so sorry,” she said. Lee later took to social media to share a clip of himself dropping the rose on the ground.
This prompted a bit of backlash from fans, who questioned whether or not this was intended as shade toward Henson. Now, he’s taken to TikTok to clarify that it wasn’t, and to raise issues he had with production. “I’ve always spoken about my social anxiety, and for me just to get out and be in that moment was more than enough for me. So to take me and my wife out of our seats, put us in different seats, give Taraji no direction to who we are and what we do felt extremely unprepared and unprofessional to me,” he explained.
“The reason I did this had nothing to do with Taraji P Henson,” Lee continued. “I whole-heartedly believe that wasn’t my rose.” What do you think of Keith Lee raising issues with BET after he was mistaken for another influencer? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Angela Simmons has had a rough 48 hours. The reality star turned heads at the BET Awards when she brought a bedazzled gun purse onto the red carpet. She not only showed off the gun purse, but posed with it as though it was actually a gun. She aimed it at photographers, which didn’t go over well, to say the least. Simmons was criticized for her fashion choice, and tried to quiet the situation by issuing an apology video. Evidently, the reality felt that more needed to be said.
Angela Simmons posted a lengthy written apology to Instagram on July 1. She explained her reasoning for bringing out the gun purse, and acknowledged why it may not have been a great idea in retrospect. “I deeply regret that this item, which symbolizes a gun, was inappropriate and insensitive,” she wrote over a black background. “Especially given my personal and community experiences with gun violence.” She claimed that she merely intended for the purse to “amplify” her beauty, but now views the accessory as a “bad decision.”
Simmons didn’t stop there. She then detailed the ways in which gun violence has impacted her life. “I have personally lost my partner, the father of my child, to gun violence,” she added. “I have witnessed its devastating impact on my community in Southeast Queens.” From there, Angela Simmons listed the ways in which she has fought gun violence. “My work with Erica Ford,” she explained. “And my own organization that creates programs to reduce gun violence and helps those directly impacted by the pandemic, have always been about making peace a lifestyle.”
The reality star wrapped up her statement by restating her apology. “I ask for your understanding and forgiveness,” she wrote. “And I hope that you can accept my sincere apology.” She referred to the gun purse as a “misstep” and promised that she would not let it impact the positive work she’s done. “I will not allow it to define my moral compass,” she subsequently wrote. “Or my commitment to promoting peace and ending gun violence.”
It’s no secret that it’s been a major year for Sexyy Red. Aside from joining Drake on tour and taking part in several high-profile collabs, the St. Louis-born rapper unleashed her third mixtape In Sexyy We Trust just last month. As expected, it arrived jam-packed with hits. Many fans thought would make her a shoo-in at the BET Awards last night (June 30).
She was nominated for a few different awards, including Best Collaboration, Best Female Artist, and Best New Artist. The latter is what now has her supporters feeling snubbed, however, and they’re making their opinions known. Tyla took home the honor instead of Sexyy, and many feel as though this simply wasn’t fair.
Sexyy Red shared some fun clips and photos from the awards show on Instagram earlier today, showing her making it rain in the crowd, dancing, and more. Her comments section is flooded with fans insisting that she was “robbed,” as well as words of encouragement after the loss. “Sexyy should’ve won best new artist over Tyla tbf,” one commenter claims. “It’s ok sis, your efforts don’t go unnoticed. You won in my book,” another says.
Fortunately, it doesn’t appear as though Sexyy is too upset by the whole thing, as she’s gone on to share even more footage from the event. In one of her latest clips, she’s seen throwing around cash on the carpet, providing a heartfelt message to fans in her caption. “I do dis for da trenches da hood btches winnin,” she wrote. What do you think of Tyla winning Best New Artist at the BET Awards last night? Do you think the award should have gone to Sexyy Red or not? Share your thoughts in the comments section down below, and keep an eye on HNHH for more updates.
Usher won a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday, but his speech was so heavily edited that viewers watching at home weren’t able to make out what the “Confessions Part II” singer was saying. BET has since apologized for what a spokesperson called an “audio malfunction.”
“Celebrating global icon Usher on our stage with a star-studded tribute and having him accept his award with a heartfelt speech was an honor,” the spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “Due to an audio malfunction during the live telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted. We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in culture’s biggest night. Fans can catch his full uninterrupted speech across BET platforms and tonight’s encore on BET.”
“We’ve got to be willing to forgive. We’ve got to be willing to be open,” he said. “I’m telling you, you’re standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up ever. And look what I made with it. Look what I was able to ‘usher’ in. But that’s what’s real. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us women and men.” Let’s see if he forgives BET.
BET has issued an apology to Usher after his acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement award was plagued with audio issues. In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson said the organization “couldn’t be more grateful” for his appearance and offered fans access to his uninterrupted speech on BET’s platforms online.
“Celebrating global icon Usher on our stage with a star-studded tribute and having him accept his award with a heartfelt speech was an honor,” the spokesperson said. “Due to an audio malfunction during the live telecast, portions of his speech were inadvertently muted. We extend our sincere apologies to Usher as we couldn’t be more grateful for his participation in culture’s biggest night. Fans can catch his full uninterrupted speech across BET platforms and tonight’s encore on BET.”
Usher accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 30, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)
Usher focused his 13-minute speech on the value of family and the importance of forgiveness. “We’ve got to be willing to forgive. We’ve got to be willing to be open,” he said at one point. “I’m telling you, you’re standing before a man who had to forgive a man who never showed up ever. And look what I made with it. Look what I was able to ‘usher’ in. But that’s what’s real. That’s what makes us human. That’s what makes us women and men.” Check out his full unfiltered speech below.
Usher Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
In addition to the speech, several artists including Childish Gambino and Chloe Bailey performed tributes for the legendary singer. He also took home the award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist earlier in the night. Other winners during the ceremony included SZA, Killer Mike, and more. Be on the lookout for further updates on Usher and the BET Awards on HotNewHipHop.
Too Short says Kendrick Lamar emerged victorious from his viral beef with Drake and loved the way the West Coast stood up for him. He discussed the feud with Billboard while walking the red carpet at the BET Awards on Sunday night.
“I like the way a lot of people stood up and rode with the homie [Lamar] in this one because it seemed like he was supposed to be the underdog,” Short said while referring to his fellow West Coast native. He added: “I think he held his own pretty good. I think that in this situation… none of us would dispute that this battle was amongst two really good artists.” Despite adding that both Lamar and Drake are “two great artists,” he suggested “gangsta Drake,” is over but “R&B Drake” is still “for the ladies.”
Kendrick Lamar Films “Not Like Us” Music Video In L.A.
Watts, CA – June 22: Kendrick Lamar dances during the music video shoot for “Not Like Us” at Nickerson Gardens on Saturday, June 22, 2024, in Watts, CA. (Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
From there, Short recalled the “most beautiful woman in the world” getting him hip to Drake back in 2007-2008. “The ladies are good judges of what good music is, they dictate a lot of stuff in the industry, so I say kudos to Drake cuz I wouldn’t have never knew about your music if it wasn’t for the baddest of the baddies,” he said. He recalled listening to the Comeback Season mixtape in particular. After the interview, Short performed his iconic song, “Blow The Whistle,” on the red carpet. Check out his performance at the BET Awards below.
Too Short Takes Over The BET Awards Red Carpet
As for the latest in the beef, Lamar recently took to the streets of Los Angeles to film a music video for “Not Like Us.” Be on the lookout for further updates on Too Short as well as Kendrick Lamar and Drake on HotNewHipHop.
During last night’s BET Awards ceremony, Donald Glover — who was there to present the award for Album Of The Year — took a bit of a digression during his time onstage to call out the show for never nominating him. Indeed, it’s one of the first times the network has even acknowledged Glover’s existence, and the fact he was also allowed to plug his quirky new film Bando Stone And The New World is probably a testament to the concessions BET’s programmers had to make to soothe his bruised ego over the years of neglect.
“This isn’t personal, but I just feel like I should have more BET awards,” Glover said. “I’m serious. It’s the Black Entertainment Television Awards. How much more entertaining do I have to do? Because it’s just the math of the fact. It doesn’t really make sense. I have more Grammys than Will Smith, which makes no sense, but I have the same amount of BET awards as Sam Smith.” Smith and Glover both have one BET Award each; Glover won Best Music Video in 2019 for “This is America”, while Smith won the 2015 award for Best New Artist. I don’t know if you noticed, but Sam Smith… also isn’t Black.
Glover joked that he’d be willing to remake BET Saturday afternoon mainstay Baby Boy if it would get him more recognition from the network. “I’ll have Jonathan Majors put me in a headlock, shave my head, I’ll do it,” he said, referring to a scene in which Ving Rhames puts Tyrese Gibson in a headlock during a heated domestic dispute in the film.
— Well guess what, I’m CP (@TopherPatt) July 1, 2024
Social media users on Twitter noted that Glover has kind of a point — he should not have the same number of BET Awards nominations as Sam Smith, regardless of whether he and Will Smith have the same amount of Grammys — and drew parallels to another recent addition to the BET canon, Tyler The Creator. The Hawthorne, California native also went unacknowledged by the network until 2021, when he was honored with a (the admittedly vaguely titled) Rock The Bells Cultural Influence Award. During an interview about the award, he, too, acknowledged that he felt he “wasn’t accepted by that audience,” but that he held a deep reverence for the network growing up.
“I was so hype to perform at the BET Awards,” Tyler admitted. “I just never felt like my style of music would ever have been, not even appreciated, but allowed on there. And because of that, I would mock it. It was like a defense mechanism because I felt like I wasn’t accepted by that audience. But when they asked me this year, man, I was enthralled. I was so happy.” At first glance, it does appear that artists like Glover and Tyler contrast starkly from the usual BET fare. When they were both in the target demographic for BET’s old video countdown show, 106 & Park, they likely didn’t see themselves reflected in the usual rotation of artists like Soulja Boy, 50 Cent, or Hurricane Chris.
The way BET has left him and Tyler out of most of the convos for such a long time is crazy. https://t.co/319hUs11UC
— Well guess what, I’m CP (@TopherPatt) July 1, 2024
But over the years, they’ve each garnered mainstream acclaim for their creative works, which have always celebrated their Blackness and drawn extensively from deep cultural roots — even if they didn’t reflect the stereotypical looks and concerns promoted by not just BET, but mainstream depictions of Blackness in media in general.
Glover’s groundbreaking work in music and television includes the funk-soul revival album Awaken, My Love! and his paradigm-shifting dramedy Atlanta, which often addressed ongoing current events and made references to Black lifestyle deep cuts like the “haunted” Lake Rainier in his native Georgia. Meanwhile, Tyler’s multihyphenate takeover of hip-hop, fashion, and animation with albums like Igor, shows like The Jellies!, and his history-making collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Louis Vuitton, centered Blackness and posited a broader spectrum of possibilities for it. You can’t tell me you couldn’t see Carlton Banks decked out in Tyler’s preppy Louis pieces. There are all kinds of alternative expressions of Blackness, and neither artist allowed the fact they didn’t see those expressions on TV stop them from expressing themselves in full.
While it’s clear that BET’s definition of notable Black art is expanding — a net good for a network whose narrow typecasting of Black art has been criticized in the past — neither Glover nor Tyler should ever have fretted. They’ve been two of the most important Black artists of their generation all along. From the beginning, both artists have presented a dazzling, wide-ranging perspective of what Black art can be. Beyond BET, we would all benefit from recognizing those talents — and the talents of others who go against the grain — and letting Black art be more than what we’ve already seen.
