Nearly nine minutes into Busta Rhymes’ head-spinning BET Awards 2023 performance around receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Coi Leray appeared on stage to deliver her top-1o Billboard Hot 100 hit “Players,” which she remixed with Rhymes earlier this year.
Instead of promoting her freshly released album, Coi, Leray layered a tribute within the tribute by rocking a black-and-white two-piece set boasting names of several other power women rappers such as Bia, Cardi B, Dej Loaf, Doechii, Doja Cat, Gangsta Boo, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Lola Brooke, Missy Elliott, Saweetie, and more still.
Coi Leray rocks outfit with Female rappers names on it to the #BETAwards
Cardi Bs name is on the back right leg
pic.twitter.com/daCsq7ADkt
— ًََ (@LAVISHSZN_) June 26, 2023
In addition to Leray, Busta’s tribute performance included accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award from Swizz Beatz and running through verses from “MOP’s ‘Ante Up’ and A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Scenario’ remixes, his verse from Chris Brown’s ‘Look At Me Now,’ and his hits ‘Break Ya Neck,’ ‘Give It To Me,’ ‘New York Sh*t,’ ‘Touch It,’ and ‘Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,’ … [and] finished with his new song with BIA, ‘Beach Ball’ and a tribute to his Jamaican roots,” as recapped by Uproxx’s Aaron Williams.
Leray was nominated for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist, which Latto claimed, while “Players” was up for BET Her, which Beyoncé won with “Break My Soul.”
Watch the full tribute performance above, and Rhymes’ acceptance speech below.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.