In case you didn’t already hear, the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards aired this past Tuesday (Oct. 15). And even though the mainstream was front and center for the two-hour show, that doesn’t mean that underground rappers didn’t get a chance to shine. Because when the indie MCs invited to the stage grabbed the mic, they did so with more tenacity than their major-label counterparts.
Well, most of them, anyway, because it’s impossible to deny the grit and hunger heard throughout Kendrick Lamar‘s show-halting verse in the Top Dawg Entertainment cypher. Likewise, the four members of Slaughterhouse—Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, Royce Da 5’9″ and Joe Budden—were incredibly impressive with their trademark wordplay and cultural references.
But all the indie, underground spitters delivered their bars like they had something to prove. Take the cypher led by Jon Conner, for example. One-time Def Jam signee Wax, who left the label giant last year, showcased his signature cool and deft delivery weaving in and out of the beat with ease.
Likewise, Rittz and Rapsody—they’re signed to Strange Music and Jamla Records, respectively—showed the world what they have. And for Georgia’s Rittz, that meant a dextrous flow that shifted from straightforward to double-time while North Carolinian Rapsody displayed her talents with clever, bravado-laced rhymes. And there was Connor at the end, rounding out the cypher with the declaration that he’s signed with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label. For someone who’s been grinding as long as he has, it’s impossible to not feel proud for him to know he’ll get the bigger push he so deserves.
In the pre-show Digital All-Stars Cypher, two members of West Coast imprint Diamond Lane, Problem and Bad Lucc, proved their worth with tons of confidence and laid-back swagger. Rising New York rapper Astro, who’s only 17(!), appeared in the American version of The X Factor back in 2011. He might not have won that competition, but his raps have clearly improved since then and, really, he had one of the best verses of the whole cypher experience.
For those unfamiliar with a cypher, it’s a lot like watching an entertaining game of poker, be it on TV, at an actual casino, or online at a poker hub such as Betfair where you can try your hand at a game of poker or two. That same adrenaline rush you get from watching your favorite poker player—or you, yourself, if you’re playing online—declare whether he or she is folding, holding, or maybe even going all in is similar to seeing the microphone get passed from one MC to the other. Collecting winnings is like that one really sharp punchline or metaphor that hits so hard that everyone’s head spins. There’s a reason why rappers like Lil Wayne often use poker as a means of delivering wordplay. Just look at this line from one of his hits, “Steady Mobbin'”: “Life is a gamble and I’m all about my poker chips.”
As for the winners of the actual awards during the show, well, BET didn’t really take many risks with their statues. All the big names you would expect to win—Drake, Jay Z, and Kendrick Lamar—bagged their awards. And even though proudly independent rapper Chance The Rapper should have won Best Mixtape with Acid Rap, it just wasn’t his night. Maybe next year the indie crowd will get some more love on the awards side of things. If not, at least we have the cyphers, right?
