BET Suspends Hip Hop & Soul Train Awards "Indefinitely"

BET Awards 2021 - Arrivals — Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

BET sent shockwaves through the industry by suspending two of its most iconic awards shows: the BET Hip Hop Awards and the Soul Train Awards.

Both have been indefinitely shelved, with no official return date or promise that they’ll ever come back.

The BET Hip Hop Awards has been a staple in the rap community since 2006, best known for its legendary cyphers, performances, and moments that consistently shaped conversations in and around Hip-Hop. The Soul Train Awards, rooted in Don Cornelius’ legendary franchise, have been celebrating the best in R&B and soul since 1987. This is a major loss for Black music fans across the board.

CEO Scott Mills confirmed the decision to Billboard, saying:

“We have suspended the Soul Train and Hip-Hop award shows. But we have a team that’s actively thinking about where those award shows might best live as the media climate continues to evolve. They aren’t gone.”

Still, we’re all wondering: if not on BET, then where?

While Mills stated that this isn’t a final farewell and pointed to BET’s continued involvement in the NAACP Image Awards and the Stellar Awards, the news sparked major concern about the direction of the network and its support of Black music programming.

So far, there’s no word on what form (if any) these ceremonies could take in the future. But one thing’s for sure: losing both shows at once feels like losing two cultural institutions.