A History Of Rappers Being Dissed At Award Shows

The big news of the day is Kendrick Lamar's "diss" of Drake in K. Dot's BET Cypher freestyle at the upcoming 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards. After naming Drake in his acclaimed verse on Big Sean's "Control," Kendrick Lamar took it a step further by taking a direct jab at Drake when he rapped, "Yeah… and nothing’s been the same since they dropped “Control”/And tucked a sensitive rapper back in his pajama clothes."

It was a "moment" in hip-hop.

Kendrick's diss at the BET Hip-Hop Awards is not the first time that a rapper dissed a rapper at an award show. Rappers have been using the bright lights and spectacle of music industry platforms to get at each other for years. Here are 5 other incidents where rappers famously were dissed at an award show.

Suge Knight At The 1995 Source Awards

When Death Row honcho Suge Knight took the stage at the Source Awards on August 3, 1995 in New York City, it was in the midst of simmering tensions between East and West. Suge got on stage and delivered thinly veiled shots at Bad Boys Records chief, Sean "Puffy" Combs, when Knight said "Any artist that want to be an artist and want to stay a star, and don't want to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing, come to Death Row."

Many saw Knight's comments as a direct shot at Combs who had made a reputation for appearing in the videos and on the records of his artists at Bad Boy. After his speech, the shocked New York crowd booed Knight as he exited the stage after his slight of Puffy.

Fat Joe & 50 Cent Trade Barbs At The VMA's

In 2005, Fat Joe and 50 Cent found themselves embroiled in conflict. On "Piggy Bank," a track on 50 Cent's The Massacre, 50 took aim at Fat Joe dissing him because of his association with G-Unit Public Enemy No. 1, Ja Rule.

On August 28, 2005, their beef spilled into the public when Fat Joe appeared on-stage at the 2005 MTV Music Video Awards to present an award to reggeton singer, Daddy Yankee. Fat Joe delivered comments aimed directly at 50 and his G-Unit cohorts when he said on stage, "I feel safe with all the police protection - courtesy of G-Unit."
Later in the evening, 50 Cent hit the stage for a performance where he launched into a profanity-laced rant at the Terror Squad rapper.

The pair would eventually squash the beef almost a decade later at another award show when 50 and Fat Joe shook hands and made up during a memorial tribute to mutual friend Chris Lighty at 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards.

Nick Cannon Says He Will Whip Eminem's Ass At BET Awards

Nick might only be a rapper in the looset sense of the word - Cannon released a critically panned rap album in 2003 - Cannon took the time to fire shots at his wife Mariah Carey's long-time nemesis, Eminem, at 2011 BET Awards.

In a humorous  featuring the cast VH1's comedy series, The Real Husbands Of Hollywood, that aired at the awards, Nick Cannon is bated into responding to comedian Kevin Hart's jabs that he would never fight Eminem. Cannon freaks out and declares that he would "whip Eminem's ass."

50 Cent & Diddy Get Into An Ugly Argument At BET Awards

At the 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards, 50 Cent and Diddy allegedly got into an altercation backstage at the show. According to reports, Diddy and 50 Cent were enjoying a good-natured laugh when Diddy said something that 50 found offensive. Witnesses to the event state they heard 50 yell profanity at Diddy before the Bad Boy Mogul walked away disgusted, reportedly saying, "I got too much money for this."

Rappers Protest 1989 Grammy Awards

In 1989, hip-hop was finally being recognized by the Grammy Awards after years of being snubbed by the music industry. Despite the acknowledgement by the Grammys, many in hip-hop were upset that then portion of the ceremony where hip-hop was scheduled to be honored would not be aired on television. In retaliation to the perceived snub, a protest of the telecast was organized by the nominees of the Best Rap Performance awards include DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Public Enemy, J.J. Fad, Kool Moe Dee and Salt-N-Pepa organized a boycott of the award ceremony. The organizers of the award must have heeded the rap artist's criticism because the very next year, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince would perform at the ceremony.