During the 2016 BET Hip-Hop Awards, Big K.R.I.T. and Lecrae both commanded the spotlight, delivering two incredibly well-done spoken word performances.

With each wordsmith best utilizing their talents, their words echoed as the audience digested and applauded their powerful statements. 

With Big K.R.I.T. dressing the part by way of donning a customized police officer's uniform, the Missippi rapper delivered a passionately heated verse addressing topics of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Throughout his emotional presentation, K.R.I.T. took on the perspective of an officer, offering an honest take on what it's like to police Black people in America. Needless to say, he came with the realness, and was met with tremendeous support, with one of the evening's honorees, Snoop Dogg, sparking a standing ovation with his fist pressed firmly and held high in the air.

Lecrae followed suit and continued the evening's focus on weaving themes of the #BLM movement into poetry, delivering several necessary affirmations, such as his refusal to be silent. While dropping bar after bar, the activist and emcee discussed themes of opression and culture appropriation, while also touching on private for-profit prisons and how the fight for equality will never stop.

Lecrae also ended his epic poem with a subtle shout out to President Obama for holding us down for two terms. He really dropped some knowledge in this beautifully composed spoken word poem, making for one of this year's Hip-Hop Awards most powerful and memorable moments. 

Read the powerful words of Big K.R.I.T. and Lecrae, respectably, below.

Words by Big K.R.I.T.: 

Mommas been cryin’ and they gon’ keep cryin’
Black folk been dyin’ and they gon’ keep dyin’
The police been firin’ and they gon’ keep firin’
The government been lyin’ and they gon’ keep lyin’

Propaganda news channels that s**t’ is all for show
Camera phones, videos it’s like all we know
Diluting what the eyewitness might really say
Because the whole world saw a murder yesterday
Now your account ain’t what it used to be
According to them, your eyes can’t adjust to the violence you used to see
Police brutality is all in your mind
And the tactics that they use only look worse in rewind
People die every day, you should get used to it
Hands behind your back, face down
They still say you shoot
Can’t breathe
Knee where your neck be
Like why you movin’
Kids in your car headed home
Like what you doin’
Like why you chillin’
F**k your feelings
Why you smilin’ when I’m so serious
I hate patrolling your space
Like why you livin’
Stop asking questions
Why you filmin’
You look suspicious
I think you dealin’
Step out the car
Fit the description
Someone I feel
I needed killin’
Blood on the curb
I needed spillin’
Another civilian
Another not guilty
Another t-shirt
Another rap lyric
Another life gone
I can’t forgive it

Words by Lecrae:

They tellin’ us make “America Great Again”
I’m like hol’ up, when was America great again?
Was it when they took us from our native land?
Or maybe it was when they took the natives’ land?
Let me be quiet
Nah
‘Cause being silent is pitiful
It’s something I never do
After Philando, man, I’m wondering where was you?
They ask for your opinion
All you thinking is revenue
Never do
I pray to God he make you a better you
Now, I know
Some of us we don’t know who we are
We’re too content with the gold and the cars
We got low self-esteem chasing dreams
With a goal in our heart
But society then drove us apart

Look at us from sellin’ dope to our own kind
To a dope rhyme
Radio then played it more times
Paid in more dimes
To some industry exec
Getting checks
From a private prison
With the rap money he invest
Now, I know you’re like is this rap or is this gospel
Look, all you need to know is that I was blind
Now I’m not though
Real recognize real
If they don’t love me like ‘Pac
They gon’ respect how I’m moving
And then I’m never gonna stop
‘Cause we was taken from Africa
Sold and treated like animals
Culturally denigrated and separated from families

But somehow we made it this far
And stood firm
With nappy hairs and perms
And led for two terms