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www.newnation.co.uk New Nation, 27 October, 2008 3 THE STARS came out in full force for the third annual BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, Georgia, and New Nation was there to bring you the exclusive. It was a night for the underdog as UK street rapper Giggs beat the likes of Dizzee Rascal and Wiley to win the Best UK Hip Hop Award. Giggs, a man of few words, told us on the red carpet: ‘I’m shocked to have won but myself and my team have worked really hard. I’ve had a good time in Atlanta, I’m hoping to get more love from the radio and TV stations in the UK.’ In what was a highly politically charged event – stars from the hip-hop community openly urged viewers to ‘vote black’ while images of Barack and Michelle Obama flashed on screens during several of the big name per- formances. In a surprise change to the schedule, T-Pain hosted the show instead of comedian Kat Williams. Dressed in his trademark top hat, T- Pain was a true master of ceremony, making the star-studded crowd laugh with his crass humour. He joked: ‘A lot of people in this room wouldn’t have careers if it wasn’t for me!’ Opening with the kings of the south Ludacris and T.I, the show featured several stunning per- formances from Nas, Young Jeezy, Common and N.E.R.D, Plies and Neyo, T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Ice Cube. However the talking point of the night was the ladies of hip-hop medley. Featuring Yo Yo, MC Lyte, Lady of Rage and Salt N Pepa, the performance was truly showstopping and drew huge applause from the crowd. One of the biggest winners of the BET Hip Hop Awards was crowd favorite Lil Wayne, who had been nominated for 12 awards. He was named Lyricist of the Year, MVP of the Year and the Alltel Wireless People’s Champ. While accepting one of his gongs with his trademark styrofoam cup, the rapper announced that he was about to become a father again and is expecting a little boy to arrive at any time! Also during the show, LL Cool J presented Russell Simmons with the I AM HIP HOP Icon Award, which is presented to an individu- al who, during his or her lifetime, has made notable contributions of outstanding signifi- cance to the hip-hop community. Simmons’ inspiring speech prompted a standing ovation. All in all it was a wonderful night showcasting the best in rap music on both sides of the Atlantic. [email protected] BET BONANZA Lil Wayne big winner at US bash sdfljvghsflg hjdf;lgjfkjgkf What’s on your IPOD? Emmanuel Nartey 19-year-old student from Stevenage My top five singles: T.I – Whatever you Like Rick Ross – The Boss Neyo – Ms Independent T-Pain – Silver and Gold Lil Wayne – A Milli My top five albums: Lil Wayne – Tha Carter 3 Neyo – Year of the Gentleman Rihanna – Good Girl Gone Bad Rick Ross – Trilla T.I – Paper Trail All star line-up: Lil Wayne, T.I and Ludacris, Common and Pharell, Salt N Pepa, T-Pain and Ciara wow the crowd at the BET Awards MICHELLE ADABRA Grapevine in Atlanta ● LADIES ALL over swooned when actor Derek Luke took to the red carpet. The Antoine Fisher actor spoke to New Nation about the forthcoming Biggie Smalls film Notorious in which he plays P Diddy. Luke said: ‘It was amazing play- ing the man, the mogul. I loved playing Diddy because his character is not limited, it felt good to play someone I have grown up watch- ing.’ The actor also has plans to tread the boards in the UK. He said: ‘I have to empha- sise this, I would love to come to the UK to do some theatre. My dad used to act in a theatre in Piccadilly Circus, so my roots are in the theatre. I believe it's my destiny to come and act over in England real soon.’ ● THE GORGEOUS Keri Hilson looked amazing in a purple animal print dress. ‘I love all of Europe, especially the UK,’ she told us. ‘You guys in England have given me great support on Timbaland’s Scream and Way I Are and I really appreciate that. I will need your support for my frist single and I promise to return the favour and come out to the UK.’ ● GRIME ARTIST Ghetto spoke frankly about the UK music industry: ‘I'm happy to be here. I'm here nominated for an award and I'm not even nominated for a MOBO. Another country is showing me love when my own isn't, so I have no complaints about the BET Awards at all.’ ● BRITISH BET presenter Sharan Carpenter looked amazing in a sparkling black dress. The news presenter gave New Nation the heads up on her latest projects: ‘Things are going really, really well out here. We've really been focusing on the election here at BET. ‘We are gonna be going live on election day. It's a tight race and we really need to get everyone out to vote. BET has played a big role in getting young people to go out and vote. I haven’t been back to the UK for a while but I've been doing a lot of stuff out here on behalf of the UK.’ ● RAPPER YOUNG Dro told us that he had just received his passport and was eager to visit Britain with his fellow Grand Hustle stars Big Kountry and of course the ‘king’ himself T.I. Psst...have you heard? IN ATLANTA
