The 'BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08' Celebrates the Biggest Names in the Game - on the Mic,...

The 'BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08' Celebrates the Biggest Names in the Game - on the
Mic, in the Community and in the Election
Hosted by the Ubiquitous T-Pain, the Hottest Night of Hip Hop Featured
Performances by Lil Wayne, T.I., Nas, Ludacris, Nelly, Common, Young Jeezy,
N.E.R.D., Ice Cube, Musiq Soulchild, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy, Bow Wow, Plies,
Ne-Yo, Swizz Beatz, Avery Storm, and the Queens of Hip Hop - MC Lyte, Yo-Yo,
The Lady of Rage, Salt-n-Pepa and Spinderella

ATLANTA, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08 was full of
non-stop, mind-blowing performances, talented lyricists and incomparable
collaborations, but above all, the night was an empowering tribute to the
upcoming presidential election, giving back to the community and the reigning
ladies of hip hop. With the ever-present T-Pain serving as the surprise
ringleader (with scheduled host Katt Williams unable to attend), the hottest
show in hip hop was taped at Atlanta's Civic Center on Saturday, October 18
and will air on BET Thursday, October 23 at 8:00 p.m.*
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070716/BETNETWORKSLOGO )
One of the biggest winners of the BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08 was crowd
favorite Lil Wayne, who had been nominated for 12 awards and was named
Lyricist of the Year, MVP of the Year and the Alltel Wireless People's Champ.
But the most impressive theme of the night was each and every presenter,
performer and winner encouraging the audience to vote and reminding viewers
just how historic this moment is.
The show's most unforgettable moment was the ladies of hip hop medley,
featuring the reigning queens of the mic -- MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, The Lady of Rage,
Salt-n-Pepa and Spinderella. From MC Lyte's "Cha Cha Cha" to Yo-Yo's "You
Can't Play with My Yo-Yo," the performance was an inspiring reminder of how
amazing female MCs are and can be. Salt-n-Pepa brought the house to its feet
with a number of songs, including "My Mic Sounds Nice," "Shoop," "Big Girls,"
"Push It, and "Whatta Man" (which included a photo montage of a certain
presidential candidate and his wife!).
The BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08 featured other sizzling performances and
collaborations, with ATL native T.I. kicking off the show with "What's Up,
What's Happening" and later teaming up with Swizz Beatz for "Swing Your Rag."
Nas showed off his lyrical skills with "Queens Get the Money" and "Hero,"
while Young Jeezy gave a high-energy rendition of "Crazy World." Plies was
joined by Ne-Yo for "Who Hotter Than Me" and "Bust It Baby," and Rick Ross
treated the crowd to "Here I Am" with Nelly and Avery Storm.
Rocking black-rimmed glasses, N.E.R.D. and Common impressed the crowd with
"Numbers," "Universal Mind Control" and "Spazz." T-Pain took a break from his
hosting duties to perform "Can't Believe It" with Lil Wayne and "Chopped and
Skrewed" with Ludacris. Surprise performer Ice Cube had the audience on its
feet for "Why Me" and the classic "It Was a Good Day," and Soulja Boy and Bow
Wow closed out the night with "Marco Polo."
Also during the show, LL Cool J presented Russell Simmons with the "I AM
HIP HOP" Icon Award, which is presented to an individual who, during his or
her lifetime, has made notable contributions of outstanding significance to
the hip hop community. As one of the most influential hip hop moguls in the
world, Simmons has inspired countless other artists to give back to their
communities and make charity a top priority. Through his efforts with the Hip
Hop Summit Action Network and other philanthropic initiatives, Simmons has
proven that hip hop can make a huge difference in the world.
A star-studded line-up of the biggest names in hip hop made appearances at
the show, including 50 Cent, Kerry Washington, Keri Hilson, Jim Jones, Derek
Luke, Lil Cease, Big Boi, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Jamal Woolard and Wu-Tang Clan
members GZA, Raekwon, Masta Killa, U-God, Inspectah Deck and RZA. Adding to
the hype, rapper Jadakiss pumped up the crowd as celebrity announcer, while
the famed DJ Drama played all night. Also during the show, BET unveiled an
exclusive trailer for Fox Searchlight's new film NOTORIOUS about the life of
late rapper Notorious B.I.G.
BET once again teams up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of
the GRAMMY Awards(R) and the seven record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle
production of the BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08 telecast. Stephen G. Hill, BET
Executive Vice President, Music and Programming, along with Lynne
Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of Specials, are executive producers of the
telecast.
The BET HIP HOP AWARDS '08 is sponsored by Nike, MySpace Music, Toyota,
Alltel Wireless and Fox Searchlight.
*All times ET/PT
About BET Networks
BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the
nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public
affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary
BET channel reaches more than 87 million households according to Nielsen Media
Research, and can be seen in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the
dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business
extensions: BET.com, a leading internet destination for Black entertainment,
music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip
Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event
Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home
Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment
including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones,
games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an
extension of BET network programming for global distribution.
SOURCE BET Networks

Lyntina Townsend, +1-202-608-2745, lyntina.townsend@bet.net, or Marcy Polanco,
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