Photo Credit: Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Lil Nas X Snubs BET, Says His Relationship With the Network Is "Painful and Strained"
After being excluded from nominations from the BET Awards 2022, Lil Nas X spoke on his "painful and strained" relationship with the network.
Lil Nas X is opening up about his issues with BET. Ahead of the BET Awards 2022, the rapper spoke with Rolling Stone about why he took shots at the network after being excluded from this year's BET Awards nominations.
“My relationship with BET has been painful and strained for quite some time. It didn’t start with this year’s nominations like most people might think,” LNX told Rolling Stone. “They did let me perform on their show last year, but only after [I gave] assurances that I was not a satanist or devil worshiper, and that my performance would be appropriate for their audience.”
During last year's awards ceremony, LNX performed single "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" and shared a same-sex kiss with one of his background dancers. In 2020, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the BET Awards, performing the "Old Town Road (Remix)" with Billy Ray Cyrus.
Since calling out the BET Awards 2022 for snubbing him, LNX released YoungBoy Never Broke Again collaboration "Late to Da Party" where the single artwork depicts a BET Award being urinated on in a toilet. In the song's music video, LNX is seen crashing the awards ceremony.
\u201cLATE TO DA PARTY \ud83c\udf88\nSONG + VIDEO \nTONIGHT!\u201d— i am reading all that (@i am reading all that) 1656017979
\u201cJUST FINISHED EDITING THE VIDEO! LATE TO DA PARTY OUT NOW !!! \n\ud83d\ude99\ud83c\udf88\ud83d\udd2b\ud83d\udcb8\ud83c\udf7e\u201d— i am reading all that (@i am reading all that) 1656046606
While LNX did not attend this year's BET Awards ceremony, his "Industry Baby" collaborator Jack Harlow hit the red carpet and wore a graphic tee in dedication to the rapper.
BET Awards has since responded to LNX in a statement, along with the network's CEO Scott Millsspeaking with Billboard about the rapper's grievances.
"I haven’t spoken to him. However, we really do deeply value and respect Lil Nas X so we were caught off guard by the assertion. We work really hard to be extraordinarily inclusive in all we do in terms of the awards show and depictions in our film and TV content."
