Nipsey Hussle has been named the recipient of the 2019 “BET Awards” Humanitarian Award. In the spirit of uplift he evoked in his community, his work as a devoted son, brother, father, partner, friend and all-around community advocate and philanthropist, musician and businessman, Hussle will be posthumously honored with the iconic award at the 19th annual Awards show airing live in his hometown of Los Angeles on Sunday, June 23, at 8 pm ET.
Hussle continues to be a big part of the BET family from past BETX Staples Center concerts, performing on the BET Live Stage, to visiting the set of BET original series, BET Networks will continue to celebrate the life and work of the beloved LA native known lovingly as “Neighborhood Nip.” BET Networks also commemorated and celebrated his life by broadcasting “BET Remembers: Nipsey Hussle,” live and commercial-free coverage of Nipsey’s funeral service in its entirety on BET and BET Digital.
Over the past few months, “Neighborhood Nip’s,” work as an entertainer was only a small piece of who he was, and that would have been superseded only by his remarkable and tenacious efforts to advance his community, empowering and employing underprivileged groups through real estate investments, science and tech learning centers for teens. Hussle’s work within his community reflects the artist outside of the world of music, and BET Networks is honored to acknowledge his work in front of his peers as well as the world of entertainment on one of its biggest nights in black entertainment and culture.
“As a prolific artist and leader, Nipsey Hussle was zealous about driving change for the betterment of his community, empowering and employing those in need and being an influential and highly respected leader. His passing was a tremendous loss to the entertainment industry and to the culture. We will continue to remember his advocacy and be inspired by the groundwork he set forth and his dire commitment to social change. We are forever grateful, humbled and honored to have experienced his presence and we are invested in doing our part to ensure that the marathon will indeed continue. It is an immense honor for us to recognize him with this year’s Humanitarian Award,” said Connie Orlando, EVP, head of programming at BET.
Additionally, a star-studded tribute in Hussle’s honor featuring DJ Khaled, YG and John Legend will occur during the live show paying homage to the beloved artist and community philanthropist.
The “BET Awards” 2019 will simulcast LIVE at 8 pm ET across seven Viacom networks in the U.S.–BET, BET HER, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic, VH1, and Logo. Internationally, the show will simulcast for the first-time on BET Africa at 2 am CAT on June 24, followed by international broadcasts in the UK on June 24 at 9:00 pm BST, South Korea on June 25 at 9 pm KST and in France on June 25 at 9 pm CEST. Internationally, BET will honor Best International Act in-show, along with the fan-voted category Best New International Act and BET International Global Good Award during the live red carpet pre-show.
Orlando will serve as executive producer for the “BET Awards” 2019 along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More