Photo: Getty Images
BET has released a statement praising Lil Nas X after he dropped a new track slamming the network for his lack of nominations, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Last week, news of Lil Nas X's zero nominations at the 2022 BET Awards sent shockwaves through the industry. Soon after, the network was hit with accusations of homophobia for failing to recognize the openly queer rapper's year of success.
On Tuesday (June 7), the "Industry Baby" rapper fired back at network for the snub and took to Twitter to post a snippet of his new song “Late to Da Party” with the caption “F**k BET.”
Warning: Explicit Lyrics
In response to the backlash, BET said the award nominees were hand-selected by an independent "Voting Academy" made up of over 500 industry titans and not by the network itself.
“We love Lil Nas X," a statement from the network reads. "He was nominated for a Best New Artist BET Award in 2020, and we proudly showcased his extraordinary talent and creativity on the show twice: he performed ‘Old Town Road’ with Billy Ray Cyrus at BET Awards 2019 and his BET Awards 2021 performance was a highlight of our show."
"No one cheered louder that night than BET," the statement continues.
"At BET, we are passionate advocates for the wonderful diversity that exists within our community. We are committed to using all of our platforms to provide visibility and inclusion for all of the many intersections of the Black community,” the statement added.
The "Old Town Road" rapper said on Tuesday that the BET snub highlights "the bigger problem of homophobia in the Black community."
Get the latest news 24/7 on The Black Information Network. Listen now on the iHeartRadio app or click HERE to tune in live.