The 2023 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards were staged at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 4. Lil Baby avoided getting slimed, unlike fellow performer Bebe Rexha, but a select few viewers were a little green about his performance.
Apparently, Baby’s top-10 Billboard Hot 100 hit “California Breeze” didn’t belong on Nickelodeon because of its explicit and suggestive lyrics, which were censored for the young audience. (How dare Baby perform under inflatable palm trees and bring his two young sons on the stage with him?)
The squealing kids in attendance couldn’t get enough of Baby, but reviews on the internet were mixed. Some people didn’t understand the backlash given The Weeknd’s past controversial nomination for “Can’t Feel My Face,” very obviously about cocaine, at the Kids’ Choice Awards; others didn’t understand how Nickelodeon allowed Baby on its airwaves.
i had to thug it out and watch Selena Gomez & Miranda Cosgrove back in my day ….. BUT TODAY’S KIDS GET TO WATCH LIL BABY PERFORM AT THE KID’S CHOICE AWARDS THIS YEAR ????? Nickelodeon got some explainin’ to do frl. pic.twitter.com/v2DlQshXPH
— Serenity Maria (@serenitymaaria) March 5, 2023
& I know them kids choice awards tickets WAY CHEAPER than his concert tickets 😑 .
— Serenity Maria (@serenitymaaria) March 5, 2023
Lil baby had his back up dancers wearing his child’s mother @wayydaminn brand in the Kids Choice Awards !! #supportyourChildsMother 💪🏾
— Mariah (@kennadis_world) March 5, 2023
I’m still screaming at Lay Lay introducing Lil Baby at the kids choice awards as her man😂😂 girl I would of said the SAME thing😂😂😂
— fate.✨ (@WordToHollyWood) March 5, 2023
Who let Lil Baby perform at the Kids Choice Awards 💀💀 pic.twitter.com/MN6AlVgS5T
— Tervis Scoot (@tervisscoot) March 5, 2023
Kids choice awards haven’t been for kids since 2020 when they let DAP be performed ☠️
— 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 ✪ (@TheRomaniBanks) March 5, 2023
Lil Baby attends Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice awards with his sons. pic.twitter.com/D9IsvyUP7L
— Rap Alert (@rapalert6) March 5, 2023
lil baby and lil uzi at the nickelodeon kids choice awards is crazy
— Zeno The Rager (@Zenon56140617) March 5, 2023
Now why would lil baby perform California Breeze at the Nickelodeon award 😂
— Polamalu (@thereal_leshay) March 5, 2023
Nickelodeon catching flack for having lil baby perform
That's wack— IG : WAN2TIMES (@Wan2Times) March 6, 2023
Nickelodeon had baby and uzi😂😂these lil kids crazy
— 𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴🤍 (@htttpkeke) March 5, 2023
They really had Lil Baby performing California Breeze on Nickelodeon 💀
— Brucie Stewart (@Papi_Gambino) March 5, 2023
Lmfaooooooo now lil baby ….. Nickelodeon though ?
— KerryBerry ❣️ (@_AnikaMarie) March 5, 2023
Anyway Lil Baby just performed California breeze at the Nickelodeon kids choice Awards .. are y’all outraged about that too?
— Nai 🦂☄️🧚🏽♂️ (@ChampagneNai) March 5, 2023
Mannnnnn lil baby did what he was paid to do stop blaming him blame Nickelodeon if it’s that deep 🤣
— Justin K. Echevarria (@JKEchevarria821) March 6, 2023
Lil Baby being booked to perform at the Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Awards this year reminds me of that Tik Tok that was saying the preteens really don’t have like a 16 year old Raven Symone or Hannah Montana pop star to stan anymore wow #KidsChoiceAward2023
— Khaleesi ✨ (@TheDejaKing) March 5, 2023
I remember Nickelodeon use to have slime wars at awards shows in shit. When tf they start getting rappers to perform 😭 Lil Baby performed to like wtf https://t.co/3w9VImy17D
— K.B ❤️ (@Kiabrown___) March 5, 2023
This little girl got up on Nickelodeon stage and called Lil Baby “her man”. pic.twitter.com/4FwFHh4ZLN
— GEMINI’S GROOVE. (@ROZtheCreator) March 5, 2023
The Weeknd performed Cant Feel My Face at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards…I don’t wanna hear nothing about Lil Baby ✋🏾🙄
— YiSidity🤫💕 (@YSidity) March 5, 2023
https://twitter.com/MajorsDaddy_35/status/1632185850221015041?s=20
Baby didn’t have time to pay attention to the criticism, as if he’d care anyway, because he also performed across town at Rolling Loud California on Saturday night.
Before this weekend, Lil Baby performed “California Breeze” and “Forever” featuring Fridayy on the January 28 episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Michael B. Jordan.
Baby dropped his “Forever” video on February 27, squeezing as much juice as possible from last October’s It’s Only Me. His third studio album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making it his third career No. 1 album.
Bebe Rexha is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.