There's much to look forward to this Wednesday when BET airs the 2nd Annual Hip-Hop Awards, which took place on Saturday, Oct. 13 in Atlanta. Hip-hop's biggest and brightest stars packed the Atlanta Civic Center for a night of excitement that you won't want to miss. But one particular rapper truly stood out and that was none other than Lil' Wayne.
Weezy took the stage twice, first for a solo performance and later to join Playaz Circle for their hit collaboration, "Duffle Bag Boyz." Backstage in the media room, almost everyone acknowledged that the buzz around the Cash Money rap star is crazy. "He's definitely the hottest right now," said St. Louis' own Nelly, who believes Wayne gave an incredible, high-energy performance.
But Nelly had his own moment. The rapper performed alongside a group of young female dancers (with one who stole the show), that he recruited in Atlanta. With Ashanti standing and clapping during his performance, Nelly proved why he is still one of the genre's finest.
And what awards show would be complete these days without a message from Kanye West. The Chicago native opened the show with a heartfelt performance of "Can't Tell Me Nothing," which he mentioned was embraced by the hip-hop audience even though it received less airplay.
Unfortunately, T.I.'s arrest, which happened just a few hours before showtime, prevented him from performing, but that didn't stop his friends Wyclef, Alpha Mega, and Busta Rhymes from keeping his name alive. With images of T.I. playing on the big screen behind them, it was clear from the audience reaction that the city of Atlanta supports their hometown rap star.
And if that wasn't enough to get everyone on their feet, Soulja Boy made sure that everyone knew how to do the "Superman."
BE SURE TO TUNE IN ON WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17 AT 8 P.M. (ET/PT) AND WATCH THE 2ND ANNUAL HIP HOP AWARDS IN ATLANTA. YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS!