Tyler Gregory Okonma aka Tyler, The Creator made history in winning the first ever Cultural Influence Award at the BET Hip Hop Awards. Tyler is the creator of fashion brand 'Golf Wang', producer for his label 'Odd Future Records', and solo rapper of a multitude of albums. Following the release of his clothing brand, Tyler began hosting a music festival called Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival.
Tyler was widely criticized for use of misogynistic slurs and homophobic language in his music as well as using graphic depictions of violence against women; yet, his albums in 2017, 2019, and 2021 drew quite the attention earning him a Grammy (2020), BRIT (2020), and an MTV Video Music Award (2011).
L.L Cool J presented the rapper with the BET Rock the Bells Award, but the highlight of the night came with Tyler's speech in which he paid homage too many artist who preceded him.
“Wow, that was a lot. I don’t have anything planned at all. Playboi Carti has a line where he says, ‘bought my mama a house off this mumbling [stuff].‘ And I always get teared up when he says that, cause this thing that is a hobby or a pastime or a passion for us, a lot of people in here—that [stuff] kept us out of trouble.”
He Continued: “It allowed us to change our family lives, our friends’ lives, our lives. Even earlier when like Jay, to Young Blue, the Wu-Tang, all this stuff getting played and we all singing the lyric and I’m like, ‘that community is just crazy that the things that we were able to see and experience because of this thing called rap and hip hop.’ Where rap, it’s like a pathway for a lot of us to really just go, to leave, to experience just new [stuff] that we’re really not allowed to see or shown from where we grow up."
He then continued: “I definitely think that I’ve created my own path, but it’s people who allowed me to understand that I can do that, who laid the blueprint. I wouldn’t be here or up on this stage or have this silly hat or anything without the Q-Tips, the Andre 3000s, the Pharrells, The Kanye Wests, The Miss Elliots, who no one ever brings up, Busta Rhymes and the Hype Williams,’ who just took it to this different world."
He concluded "I appreciate you guys so much for just opening the doors and throwing the key. Not just opening the doors but talking to young guys like me and giving me gems and things like that. Even LL, the speech he gave me back there was just beautiful. To everyone in here, King, Blue, it’s beautiful, and everyone keep thriving, keep doing your [stuff]."
Tyler's above speech took the internet by storm, many, applauding him for acknowledging that in having those around him influencing Hip Hop, he was able to join the path. Tyler also won Album of the Year with 'Call me if You Get Lost.'
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