Last night, the 2012 BET Awards went down at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. A-list celebs like hip-hop's first family Jay-Z and Beyonce lined the front row and, fittingly, they left with some trophies. There were also great performances by their row neighbors Kanye West (with his (G.O.O.D. Music squad) and Nicki Minaj.
Of course, there were some fails, too. Champagne was spilled. Bad tributes happened. To make sense of it all, let's take a look back at all of the night's highs and lows: The best and worst of the 2012 BET Awards.
Written by Brad Wete (@BradWete)
Follow @ComplexMusic
Last night, the 2012 BET Awards went down at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. A-list celebs like hip-hop's first family Jay-Z and Beyonce lined the front row and, fittingly, they left with some trophies. There were also great performances by their row neighbors Kanye West (with his (G.O.O.D. Music squad) and Nicki Minaj.
Of course, there were some fails, too. Champagne was spilled. Bad tributes happened. To make sense of it all, let's take a look back at all of the night's highs and lows: The best and worst of the 2012 BET Awards.
Written by Brad Wete (@BradWete)
Follow @ComplexMusic
Win: Nick Minaj hits the trap with 2 Chainz.
She began with "Champion," but Nicki Minaj didn't really get busy until "Beez in the Trap" rang off and 2 Chainz ran out to perform his verse. Together, they killed it.
Fail: Mindless Behavior clowns Lauryn Hill.
Who told that little Mindless Behavior boy Ray Ray that he could even try to be funny? While on stage presenting the Best Female R&B Artist award, Ray snapped on Lauryn Hill's recent tax woes. Mike Epps, dressed as a member of Jodeci, snatched the mic from him, and rightfully so.
Win: Chris Brown performs "Don't Wake Me Up."
Although it was a little weird that half of his body was sprayed grey and white, Breezy impressed by opting against lip-syncing and sang his Virginia heart out over the EDM grooves of his latest single, "Don't Wake Me Up." His usual acrobatics were on full display and he closed his set with a backflip. That's not a bad look when your album is days away from release.
Fail: Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee's terrible "N****s in Paris" remake.
The evening began with that awkward moment when old heads are trying to be cool and funny, but fail miserably. Host Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee, as Kanye West and Jay-Z, performed "Negroes in Paris." It was a poor performance, even for a joke, with the duo embarrassing themselves and forgetting their lyrics as Kanye kindly watched from the front row. Jay-Z, who was stuck in L.A. traffic, should be glad he missed it. Yikes.
Win and Fail: MMG shows group love, with backing vocals.
Not to be outdone by G.O.O.D. Music's jumbo prop Lamborghini, Maybach Music Group performed alongside an actual Maybach. Wale was joined by Rick Ross on "Bag of Money," while French Montana and Meek Mill ran through later. The performance would have been even better had they rapped free of backing vocals, though. Was MMG scared they'd forget their lyrics?
Fail: BET drops the ball on MCA and Chuck Brown tributes.
Simply put, the Beastie Boys' Adam "MCA" Yauch and Washington D.C.'s Go-Go icon Chuck Brown did enough for Black music to warrant more than an uncaptioned 20-second tribute. What a letdown.
Win: The Maze tribute.
After wonderful covers from Joe and Tyrese, Frankie Beverly hopped on stage to perform the classics that have been soundtracking family cookouts for years.
Win: D'Angelo returns.
After more than a decade away from major stages, D'Angelo showed up big last night. He may not be in the physical shape he was back in the day, but his voice is just as strong. He started off with "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," then broke into a new funk jam that recalled fallen soul man James Brown. It's good to have D back.
Win: The Whitney Houston tribute.
Last night's Whitney Houston tribute was the best that any award show has offered yet. Monica was first to astound with gospel song "I Love The Lord," then Brandy with two upbeat Houston classics: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "I'm Your Baby Tonight." Chaka Khan followed with her classic "I'm Every Woman," which Houston remade to epic results. Gary Houston, Whitney's brother, also performed, then their mother Cissy. Soulja Boy and Beyoncé were seen crying on camera.
Wale wins, then loses by knocking over Jay's drink
Win and Fail: Wale wins, then knocks over Jay-Z's drink.
Ever the underdog, Maybach Music rapper Wale was so excited to share his Best Collaboration win for the Miguel-assisted “Lotus Flower Bomb” with his Roc Nation management boss Jay-Z that while trying to run up on him for a pound, he hit Hov's champagne flute, spilling what we can only assume was Ace of Spades. He apologized on the spot and then again on stage, but it still kind of spoiled the moment.
Win: Jay-Z interrupts Kanye's speech.
It was a move that only Jay-Z could pull off and have Kanye West find it funny. When the duo won Video of the Year for "Otis" and hit the stage to accept it, Kanye began talking. Just before 'Ye could get a thought out, in came Hov'. "Excuse me, Kanye, I'ma let you continue, but...," Jay joked before ducking back off the mic. Roaring laughter, including Kanye's, filled the venue. It was a jab at Kanye's 2009 gaffe, when he crashed the MTV VMAs stage on Taylor Swift's time. Hilarious.
Win: Kanye spits his "New God Flow."
After his G.O.O.D. crew performed their "Mercy" single, Kanye West broke away from the pack to premiere a verse from his collab with Pusha T, "New God Flow." It was everything a West fan would want in a rhyme from him: half socially aware, half stuntastic and highlighted by the brash statement that his Nike "Yeezys jumped over the Jumpman." Wow.
