BET celebrated the impact of Hip-Hop music and scored rating success with the premieres and encores of the 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” and “RAP CITY ’21” last Tuesday night. BET brought together the hottest names in Hip Hop music for an unforgettable night of dynamic performances and memorable cultural moments. On linear, the 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” garnered a .692 P18-49 rating, 806K viewers P2+, during premiere night (EDAC across BET, BET Her, MTV2 and VH1 on 10/5/21) up +18% year-over-year on ratings (up +11% in impressions).* On BET alone, the telecast scored a .456 P18-49 rating (527K total viewers P2+), up 6% year-over-year. BET now has the Top 4 Cable award shows of 2021 for Black viewers: “BET Awards” (#1), “BET Hip Hop Awards” (#2), “NAACP Image Awards” (#3), and “Stellar Awards” (#4). The 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” was the #1 program for the night on all TV for Black viewers 18-49 excluding sports.
The 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” reigns as the #1 most social TV special last night (10/5/21). The annual celebration is the best performing “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” ever, with over 54M views to date across BET Digital platforms. The 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” is up three times from last year’s coverage and up four times from its last in-person taping in 2019. The annual Hip Hop celebration outperformed in social interactions, the Daytime Emmy Awards by +61%. The 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” ranks in the Top Ten most social cable awards show year-to-date at 754K interactions.
“RAP CITY ‘21” garnered 289K P2+ during premiere night (simulcast across BET and BET Her on 10/5/21). On BET alone, the “RAP CITY ‘21” scored a .241 P18-49 rating and 271K total viewers P2+. “Rap City ‘21” was the #2 most social special on all of TV on Tuesday, October 5 following the 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS.”
About “RAP CITY ’21”
Hosted by Big Tigger, “Rap City ‘21” celebrates the culture and features exclusive interviews with Jermaine Dupri, Tobe Nwigwe, Fat Joe, Jeezy, DJ Drama, and more. The special revealed never seen booth appearances, “Rap City” memories. The highly anticipated return of the iconic music show continues to pay homage to BET’s commitment to Hip Hop and celebrate the stars of the culture’s past, present and future. Making its debut in 1989, “Rap City” was the preeminent hip hop series dedicated to rap music videos, important cultural commentary, and interviews with the stars of the moment along with original freestyles from artists including Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Kanye West, Eve, Ludacris, The Diplomats, Jadakiss, Trina, Common, Big Boi, Killer Mike, and many more!
About The 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS”
This year the 2021 BET “HIP HOP AWARDS” brought the hottest names in Hip Hop back to Atlanta, GA, for the annual taping. Comedy supergroup 85 South (Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly, and Chico Bean) hosted this year’s awards from The Cobb Energy Centre, which premiered on Tuesday, October 5 on BET, BET Her, MTV2 and VH1. Watch an encore airing of the award show Tuesday, October 7 at 9 PM ET/PT on BET.
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion ruled the night by jointly snagging three wins each, including ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Hip Hop Video’ and ‘Best Collaboration,’ for their smash hit “WAP.” Tyler, The Creator, took home two wins for ‘Hip Hop Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Live Performer’ in addition to his “Rock the Bells Cultural Influence Award” presented by LL Cool J. Jay Z scored double wins in the “Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse” and “Impact Track” for his Nipsey Hussle collaboration “What It Feels Like.” Newcomer Yung Bleu was crowned ‘Best New Hip Hop Artist’ while rap sensation Saweetie took home ‘Hustler of the Year.” Music icon Missy Elliott was voted ‘Video Director of the Year’ and ‘Lyricist of the Year’ went to J. Cole. UK rapper Little Simz took home the ‘Best International Flow’ award.
Young Thug, Gunna, Bia, Lil Jon, Baby Keem, Latto, Tobe Nwigwe, Fat, Nell, Isaiah Rashad, Doechii, and Kal Banx blazed the stage with electrifying performances. “I Am Hip Hop Award” recipient Nelly closed out the show with a performance of his greatest hits, including “Country Grammar,” “Hot In Herre,” “Air Force Ones,” “Dilemma,” “Grillz” with an appearance by Paul Wall and more.
The highly anticipated cyphers were hosted by DJ Hed and featured a bevy of emcees dropping hot sixteens including Grip, D Smoke, Smino, Tierra Whack, Rico Nasty, Sleepy Hallow, Erica Banks, Fivio Foreign, Toosii, Lakeyah, Kidd Kenn, and Symba. Presenters for the evening included a trio of Hip Hop powerhouses Trina, Remy Ma, and Rapsody.
Relive the 2021 “BET HIP HOP AWARDS” digital red carpet via the live stream powered by Bulldog DM, available now at https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1lDGLLvMqpbGm.
