Lil Nas X has aired his thoughts about being excluded from this year’s list of BET Award nominees.
In a series of since-deleted Tweets posted yesterday (June 1), the rapper directly addressed BET – an awards body which specifically recognises African Americans in entertainment – before referencing his two-year run without a nomination.
“thank you, bet awards. an outstanding zero nominations again. black excellence,” Lil Nas X wrote to his 7.7 million followers.
Lil Nas X reacts to being shut out from the 2022 BET Award nominations. pic.twitter.com/yTlQYZR4jX
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 1, 2022
Later, in response to a user questioning whether he deserved a nomination, Lil Nas X pointed to the success of his debut album, ‘Montero’, which was released last September and earned the rapper five Grammy nominations alongside three Number One songs on Billboard’s Hot 100.
The reply said: “IDK, maybe 3 of the biggest songs of last year and a critically acclaimed album. I feel like that should’ve helped me a bit.”
Before deleting the Tweet thread, Lil Nas X went on to discuss the broader recognition of LGBTQ+ musicians in the industry, telling his followers that “black gay people have to fight to be seen in this world.”
“[It] doesn’t even have to be me nominated. I just feel like…even when we make it to the top mfs try to pretend we are invisible,” he wrote.
Lil Nas X’s exclusion from BET’s nominations follows a similar snub at last year’s awards show, where the rapper performed a rendition of his song ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ despite not being nominated. In 2020, Lil Nas X was nominated for Best New Artist at the ceremony, but lost out to Californian rapper Roddy Ricch.
Of the actual BET nominees, Doja Cat led the tally with a total of six nominations, including one for Best Female Hip Hop Artist and another for Album Of The Year for her 2021 sophomore LP, ‘Planet Her’. Elsewhere, Ari Lennox and Drake scored four nominations each, while Baby Keem, Kendrick Lamar and H.E.R. received three nods.
The BET Awards were established in 2001, and traditionally celebrate African Americans in the fields of acting, music and sport. This year’s edition will be hosted by actor Taraji P. Henson, and will air June 26.
Come September, Lil Nas X will embark on his ‘Long Live Montero’ world tour, taking to stages across North America, Europe and the UK – see all the details here.
