This year's BET Hip Hop Awards were packed with flavor. Politically-charged and rhythmically-armed, 2016's award show featured performances from some of the culture's hottest including T.I., Gucci Mane, and Lil Uzi Vert. But the performances are never the event's most important part, nor are the awards themselves - what people give a shit about is the cypher, and as they should.
The cyphers this time around included appearances from the likes of Weezy F Baby, Freeway, Consequence, Jidenna, and Kevin Hart's alter-ego Chocolate Droppa. But who really came with the sauce when the shot clock was running? Which rappers actually stepped their game up, bringing it back to the days on the corner when the hustle wasn't about gourmet cheddar in a fancy ass recording studio?
Skip through the slides and find out.
Russ
Rising Soundcloud monarch Russ came through to the cypher with guns a-blazing, packing the heat of internal rhyming, ready to step out from his music-making basement cave for an internationally syndicated audience.
"My name stayed the same, I just changed the way y'all viewed it." Take a gander below at Russ's verse at 00:52.
Honorable mention to Nick Grant, mister consistent with the heat.
Beanie Sigel
Coming out hot off the Meek-Game drama, Philly's finest Beanie Sigel makes a surprise appearance at the tail-end of the Freeway-led BET Cypher. Angry at the flamboyance of today's rap landscape, the former soldier of the ROC makes his opinion loud and clear for the viewers at home, flexing his wordplay along the way.
"They dressin like women, and callin it fashion. I call it checkin a nigga, you callin it bashin." Peep the Bully's verse at 3:34.
Young M.A
Accelerating at a Bugatti's pace, Brooklyn's realest Young M.A steals the show at her cypher, even while pitted against reigning XXL Freshman Dave East. Just as entertaining as her runaway hit "OOOUUU," Young M.A's verse is flames all the way through, and according to her Instagram, the video was actually cut short (the FCC has very specific fire safety provisions).
"See the difference between us -
You talk, I spit
You walk, I sprint
I bought, you rent
I'm a hawk, you're fish
I bark, you hiss -
You get it? You got me?
You catch my drift?"
Check out Young M.A's certified dope verse at 2:59 in the video below.
M-1
As part of this year's only live cypher, Dead Prez led a politically-charged series of verses, with M-1 closing it out with what we felt was the strongest verse. Speaking on the devious modes of production behind society's illusions, M-1 takes a shit on the system on live TV, and the sound is so sweet to our ears.
"America eats its young like cannibal breakfast, Wall Street is swarming with Hannibal Lectors."
Check out the revolution-inducing verse from M-1 below at 2:59.
Lil Wayne
Last but not least, Kevin Hart and Lil Wayne face-off face-2-face one time only in BET's first one-on-one cypher -
one of these men is the greatest rapper of all time and the other is named Lil Wayne. (I kid)
Weezy F Baby, above all odds, rises to take on Chocolate Droppa, and possibly drop kicks Young Thug in the process (Weezy says the word 'slime' quite a bit). Beyond the shade and the jokes and the blonde dreads, Lil Wayne proves why he's deserving of a one-on-one cypher and a spot in the GOAT conversation.
"I used to pop X and Viagra, and pretend it was natural stamina."
Watch NOLA's king do his thing below.