During last night's BET Awards, comedian Mike Epps and the group Mindless Behavior were co-presenting for the "Best R&B Artist" award. Playing up the R&B angle, Mike Epps jokingly tried to sing, and then one of the members of the group chimed in "you sing BAD...like Lauryn Hill's tax accountant".
The crowd did not react favorably and responded with gasps, and apparently the joke upset Beyonce, who was heading to the stage for winning the award. According to TMZ, Beyonce had a prepared speech but decided to change it and said "I want to thank all the talented R&B women who came before me like Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige."
A female BET handler greeted Beyonce as she exited the stage, and the singer said she thought the Lauryn Hill joke was "disrespectful" and "not cool". She was heard saying "I just felt [the joke] was wrong".
Lauryn Hill recently plead guilty to tax evasion and awaits sentencing in November where she faces up to three years in prison.