The results of the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards have come through, seeing many of hip-hop’s finest take home awards in categories such as “Lyricist of the Year.” However, it was Kendrick Lamar who stole the show, delivering a venomous freestyle targeted at Drake and the hip-hop community.
Freestyling over Mobb Deep‘s Shook Ones Pt. II — which some may recognise as the beat over which Kendrick idol Eminem rapped in the final scene of 8 Mile — Lamar anointed himself “King Kendrick” and declared “Your career ain’t s**t unless you got some Kendrick in it“.
Each year, BET asks artists to deliver an exclusive “cypher” to promote the awards, with the full freestyle shown during the broadcast of the awards ceremony. Lamar, who took home Lyricist of the Year, took the opportunity to relaunch some attacks at fellow rapper Drake.
Lamar famously took virtually all of his hip-hop contemporaries to task earlier this year, with a vitriolic verse on Big Sean‘s mixtape cut Control. Sending much of the hip-hop community into a tailspin, in the verse the rapper called out A$AP Rocky, Wale, Mac Miller and more.
The new jabs at Drake were thinly veiled, with the acclaimed rapper stating, “What I was doing? I’m bout to crack the Da Vinci Code / Yeah, and nothing’s been the same since they dropped Control / And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pyjama clothes“.
Though Drake himself recently implied that it may all just be in good freestlye fun, telling hip-hop station Hot 97:
“It just wasn’t real to me. I saw him after that and it was just like love, so it’s like was that real or was that for the people? Those were harsh words, you can’t just say that and see me like, ‘Yeah, man, what’s up,’ pretending like nothing ever happened. That’s not real.”
Readers can check out the full list of winners at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards below.
Watch: Kendrick Lamar 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher
http://youtu.be/JMbZm68qBS0
2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards Winners
Best Hip-Hop Video
Drake, Started From The Bottom
Best Collabo (Duo or Group)
A$AP Rocky feat. 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar, Problems
Best Live Performer
Jay Z
Lyricist of the Year
Kendrick Lamar
Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom
Hustler of the Year
Jay Z
Made You Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style)
A$AP Rocky and Nicki Minaj
Best Hip Hop Online Site
World Star Hip Hop
Best Club Banger
French Montana feat. Rick Ross, Drake & Lil Wayne, Pop That
Producer of the Year
Mike Will Made It
DJ of the Year
DJ Drama
Album of the Year
Kendrick Lamar, Good Kid m.a.a.d. City
Sweet 16
Kendrick Lamar Problems
Impact Track
J. Cole feat. TLC Crooked Smile
MVP of the Year
Kendrick Lamar
Track of the Year
Started From The Bottom, produced by Mike Zombie and Noah “40” Shebib
Best Mixtape
Big Sean, Detroit
Who New? Rookie of the Year
A$AP Ferg
