Lil Nas X and his camp firmly believe that he was snubbed by the 2022 BET Awards due to his alleged nod to “satanism” as well as the fact that he kissed one of his male dancers during a previous show.
Nas, 23, has gone full throttle in his attacks against the decision-makers at BET during the entire month of June when he learned that his acclaimed album and songs received no nominations at this year’s gala in Los Angeles.
His latest blistering of the BET Awards came this past week when he released his heat-seeking single, “Late to the Party,” which included his phrase “f— BET.”
“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,” Lil Nas X told Rolling Stone in a statement. “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.”
BET refuted Nas’ accounts in its statement to the magazine, saying that the “summation of events around Lil Nas X’s 2021 BET Awards performance is simply untrue.”
“Since last year’s performance, we have been in touch to work on other projects,” the BET rep stated. “We are still excited about his previous performances and continue to wish him well. But today, we are focused on culture’s biggest night and delivering history-making moments for fans worldwide.”
BET points out that Nas was nominated for Best New Artist in 2020, and that the folks who put on the BET Awards are not the ones who decide who receives nods on the show.
“BET’s Voting Academy … is comprised of an esteemed group of nearly 500 entertainment professionals in the fields of music, television, film, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, influencers, and creative arts,” the network maintains. “No one from BET serves as a member of the Voting Academy.” The network added that “no one cheered louder that night than BET” during the rapper’s 2021 performance.
Nas’ camp, however, doubled down on their stance, resolutely believing that BET brass were unappreciative of how flamboyant Nas was getting in his artistic expressions on the show.
