The 2020 BET Awards aired on Tuesday night and there were some key performances and moments that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
2020 has been Chika’s year to shine. The Montgomery, AL native has appeared on the 2020 XXL Freshman Cover, NPR’s Tiny Desk Series, Lena Waithe’s “Artists You Should Know” list, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. With all of this hype, Chika had no choice but to show out for the legendary BET Cypher. She spits socially conscious, hard-hitting bars without breaking a sweat.
Flawless Real Talk’s Cypher Freestyle
Providence, RI native Flawless Real Talk is a lyricist that gained serious traction from being on Netflix’s show Rhythm + Flow. The 28-year-old rapper came into the cypher as the least known artist but came out of it with one of the best performances of the night. With politically charged lines about police violence and white supremacy and a wickedly fast flow, Flawless Real Talk certainly left his mark on the night.
Tobe Nwigwe came out of nowhere this year with his tracks “Try Jesus” and “Eat,” both of which he performed at last night’s show. The Houston native began his performance with “Try Jesus”, a song infused with the choral humming and instrumental of church music, a Motown-Esq vocal performance, and witty lyrics about not being afraid to get in a fight. “Eat” completely flips the script and sees Nwigwe with a gravelly rap style that practically lit the pastel green stage on fire.
Quavo’s Tribute Performance for Pop Smoke
In honor of the late Pop Smoke, Migos rapper Quavo paid homage to the Brooklyn native with a performance of their songs “Shake the Room” and “Aim for the Moon.” Quavo performed in a spaceship alongside clips of the late rapper from various points in his career.
Big Sean, Jhene Aiko, and Ty Dolla Sign performance
Big Sean and Jhene Aiko performed with infectious chemistry that was emphasized well by Ty Dolla $ign. The premise of the song, forgetting the troubles of the time period to be around a lover, was encapsulated perfectly by the fires raging outside of Sean and Jhene’s room. With all of the high energy rap performances of the night, it was nice to have a change of pace with a sultry R&B cut.
