Some fans are not happy that a non-black person will lead the ceremony, prompting the Grammy-nominated musician, who is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, to defend himself during a new interview.
- Sep 15, 2022
AceShowbiz - Fat Joe has responded to the criticism that he faces after it was revealed that he would be taking the hosting duty at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards. Some fans are not happy that a non-black person will lead the ceremony, prompting Fat Joe to defend himself during a new interview.
While speaking with Jazmyn Summers of iHeart Radio and EURWeb Spotlight, the rap icon addressed the criticism. Of the hosting gig, Fat Joe, who is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, said, "It finally happened and I am so honored and excited." He also noted that hip-hop has always been about uniting people together, saying, "As far as me, it's always been about black and brown unity."
"As soon as we realize that we all are one, that's when we'll become stronger in numbers," he continued. "So when you hear Big Pun's first single 'Boricua Morena', we been steady preaching this black and brown unity. Support black-owned businesses, and brown-owned businesses. Support your kids. Support your people out there."
The Grammy-nominated musician concluded, "Go out there and influence them. Go out there and inspire them because our people - black and brown together - need that little push."
Earlier this month, BET announced Fat Joe as the host of this year's BET Hip Hop Awards which is set to premiere on BET on October 4. "Fat Joe is hip-hop royalty. He has represented the artform and the Bronx, the birthplace of hip-hop, throughout his outstanding musical career. He is a treasured friend of the network and we've loved seeing and supporting his evolution to becoming the superstar he is today," Connie Orlando, EVP, Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET, shared. "We can't wait to watch him take the stage with his vivacious energy, standing together with today's hottest and beloved hip-hop stars."
The recording artist, actor and entrepreneur, meanwhile, expressed his excitement in a separate statement. "This will be the BIGGEST award show in history," he said. "It's truly an honor to host and produce the 'BET Hip Hop Awards' and I can't thank Connie and the entire BET family enough for this opportunity. We're going to celebrate music, culture and entertainment, honor the biggest and brightest stars in the world and make this an unforgettable night full of laughs and surprises. Always remember that yesterday's host is not today's host."
Following the announcement, some hip-hop fans were not pleased. "When BET is calling a white man who says the N word a 'God of Rap,' it's over. We're in the f**king twilight zone," one person tweeted. "All these black people you could of chose to host the bet awards but someone in the room said let's get fat joe to host lmao wtf that's not our guy we wanting hosting the bet hip-hop awards," another user said.
