The BET Awards are one of the most highly anticipated award shows of the year, but what also adds to the anticipation are the events leading up to that main night.
If you have ever been to Los Angeles during BET Week, expect a slew of events highlighting Black culture and expect to get very little sleep.
TheGrio attended a few of those events during the busy week and here is a breakdown of each.
Culture Creators Brunch
The annual Culture Creators Innovator and Leaders Brunch is one of the most talked-about events during the week. Creator Joi Brown has made it her mission to honor and celebrate Black people in various fields who are shifting the culture forward.
Past honorees have included theGrio’s own Byron Allen, Swizz Beatz, Marsai Martin, and more. This year’s awards were no different, with the honorees being L.A. Reid, Robin Thede, Kenny Burns, and Nicole Lynn, among others. Megastar Usher was also in attendance as he presented Reid with the night’s coveted Icon Award.
Hosted by Grammy Winner, Tank and Actress/Songstress Coco Jones, and sponsored by Netflix and Ciroc, this event continued to showcase why it’s one of the hottest tickets in town.
The Culture Creators Brunch allowed all in attendance to walk away with the message to continue blazing the path they have set out for themselves. From the speeches, video tributes and conversations sparked at each table, this event was a one-of-a-kind experience.
To find out more about Culture Creators, visit their website.
Verzuz Battle
This year’s Verzuz was one you didn’t want to miss. With its first-ever pre-show featuring a team battle of Pleasure P and Sammie vs. Ray J and Bobby Valentino, one could feel the competitive spirit from the very beginning.
The pre-show has since gone viral on social media for the hilarious performances and memeable moments, such as Ray J singing and dancing off-key to his hit “One Wish.” The pre-show battle group has even teased fans about the possibility of forming a group or giving a part 2.
Following the exciting pre-show, the main show acts, Omarion and Mario, let it be known from the beginning they were in it to win it. Mario even started the show by poking fun at Omarion, with a group of B2K impersonators taking the stage.
The two engaged in a hit-for-hit battle for a little over two hours, with surprise appearances from Jeremih and Tank. From the sold-out crowd to the over 5.1 million viewers who tuned in across streaming platforms, this Verzuz was one of the biggest – proving that this show that started during the pandemic is still on a high.
The Headies Brunch
The Headies Awards, founded by Ayo Animashaun, has been celebrating excellence in African music and targeting the expansion of African music on a global scale for the past 15 years. Leading up to this year’s awards show, the Headies teamed threw an exclusive brunch which featured guests such as afrobeats musicians Pheelz, DJ Spinall, and Ava Hall, executive producer of the Headies.
The event was located in the Hollywood Hills, but the curated cocktails, traditional African cuisine, and afrobeats playing in the background instantly transported guests to the African continent.
Animashaun spoke to theGrio about starting the Headies in 2006. He said it’s an honor to be able to see afrobeats get global recognition and that “this is just the beginning.”
“We have to keep the momentum,” he said.
For the first time ever, The Headies Awards will be broadcast from Atlanta on Sept. 4, 2022 at the Cobb Galleria Center.
To find out more about The Headies Awards, visit their website.
BET Week is a nonstop celebration of a vast array of industries with the one targeted goal of amplifying and celebrating the culture – and these events did just that.
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