T.I. Wins Big At First BET Hip-Hop Awards

Posted: November 13, 2006 in: TI | By: Jason |

Grandmaster Flash breathed a sigh of relief after being recognized for his turntable expertise, and T.I. finally believes the South has gotten some respect. The Atlanta-based rapper, who was up for eight awards, won best hip-hop video, CD and MVP of the year at the first-ever BET Hip Hop Awards last night (Nov. 12) in Atlanta.

"You can't hate on hard work and talent," he said. "This awards show will show people a lot about where I come from." The show will air Nov. 15 in syndication.

Grandmaster Flash was honored with the I Am Hip Hop Icon award. When Flash received the award, he gave recognition to all other disc jockeys he's met, saying being a DJ was better than rapping. "To get an award for my technological ability means a whole lot more than anything else I've accomplished in my life," he said.

When hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs took the stage, he offered brief words for R&B singer Gerald Levert and Ed Bradley, who both died last week."Let's celebrate their lives," Diddy said. "People will forever miss y'all."

Rappers Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri and Young Jeezy teamed with super-producer Lil' Jon to kick off the show with the 2001 hit, "Welcome To Atlanta." Dupri, who won best producer, said he felt humbled for having the event in Atlanta.

"For the awards to be in my city and I win something for producing, it's exciting," he said. "The outcome was something I could never imagine."