Lil Nas X Says Relationship With BET Has Been ‘Painful And Strained’
Lil Nas X has not been quiet about his snub from the 2022 BET Awards and even released a song called “Late To Da Party” featuring NBA Youngboy where in the intro of the track the rapper chants “F— BET” repeatedly. Lil Nas X is now clearing up that his complicated relationship with BET started way before this year’s snub.
In a statement, the rapper told Rolling Stone: “My relationship with BET has been painful and strained for quite some time. It didn’t start with this year’s nominations like most people might think. They did let me perform on their show last year, but only after [I gave] assurances that I was not a satanist or devil worshiper, and that my performance would be appropriate for their audience.”
Lil Nas X’s performance immediately became a trending topic after he kissed one of his male dancers at the end of the set.
“They say that ‘no one cheered louder’ for me than them that night, but the BET Awards team was actually very upset that I kissed my dancer onstage and vocalized their discontent with multiple members of my team immediately following the performance,” Nas added.
An anonymous member of Nas’ team told the outlet, “At some point after [Nas] got offstage, one of the BET producers came up to me and before I could even open my mouth, he looked at me and said, ‘That was really f—– up.’”
In response, a BET spokesperson said the “summation of events around Lil Nas X’s 2021 BET Awards performance is simply untrue” and added, “Since last year’s performance, we have been in touch to work on other projects. We are still excited about his previous performances and continue to wish him well. But today, we are focused on culture’s biggest night and delivering history-making moments for fans worldwide.”
Lil Nas X was absent from attending the BET Awards this year but his “Industry Baby” collaborator Jack Harlow wore a t-shirt in his honor.
2022 BET Awards: Ranking The Red Carpet
