The BET Awards are an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate Black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annually, are broadcast live on BET. The annual presentation ceremony features performances by artists; some of the awards of more popular interest are presented in a televised ceremony.
15-456: The Award Trophy, inspired by three words - aspire, ascend, achieve, was designed by artist/sculptor Carlos "Mare139" Rodriguez . Outkast won the first award trophy during the first ceremony in 2001. In 2007, Society Awards , the New York firm who manufactures the award, enhanced the quality of the trophy design using plated steel and black crystal. The inaugural ceremony in 2001 was held at
30-477: A G-Unit Award expressly for 50 Cent given to him by fashion designer Marc Ecko . In 2008, he completed a residency project titled "FreeStyle Archityper" at Brighton University in England , where he created an indoor sculpture installation using a process devoid of models and drawings. The on-site exhibition included other works in both metal print and large-scale sculpture. The Freestyle Archityper installation
45-465: Is a New York-based artist born in 1965 in Spanish Harlem , New York City . He was best known as the subway graffiti writer Mare 139, and has since adapted the graffiti lettering styles to metal sculpture in the fine art context, and is recognized as a media artist for his creation of graffiti-art-related websites. As a member of the golden age of subway graffiti (1975–1985), he painted under
60-902: Is a member of the Cornell Hip Hop Collection Advisory Board. Rodriquez also lectures and writes about the evolution and history of urban art in New York City , where he lives. Aside from his fine arts accomplishments, he earned the prestigious 2006 Webby Award for his launch of the Hip Hop documentary Style Wars website. Style Wars has also garnered the COMMARTS/Communication Arts Award, Horizon Interactive Award, as well as SXSW/South by Southwest Interactive for its uniques design, narrative and interactivity. In 2006 and 2007, Rodriguez worked with actor Robert De Niro on
75-858: The Paris Las Vegas resort on the Las Vegas Strip . From 2002 to 2005, the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood hosted the awards. From 2006 to 2012, the ceremonies were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles . The ceremony was moved to the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live in 2013. [REDACTED] The nomination process is handled by a voting academy made up of about 500 people from the music industry, involving
90-536: The award for the annual BET Awards show, which is given to entertainers, athletes and actors. Recipients include Denzel Washington , Halle Berry , Jay-Z , Snoop Dogg , Beyoncé , Kobe Bryant , Usher , Serena Williams and many more. Other award projects included the 2005 and 2007 Red Bull Beat Battle Award and more recently the SPY Award for the 30th Anniversary of the Rock Steady Crew as well as
105-499: The ceremony. The BET Lifetime Achievement Award is given a veteran artist or group who has made notable contributions to the music industry. The honoree is paid tribute to by current popular singers who perform the honoree's most recognized songs. The honoree will usually perform themselves after being paid tribute. In 2002, at the second annual BET Awards, the category for the BET Award Humanitarian Award
120-876: The current rankings for the most wins and most nominated artist (male & female): Most wins (as of 2024) Most nominations (as of 2017) This is a list of multiple nominated performers, athletes & actors with 5 or more career nominations. Beyoncé is currently the most nominated performer with 81 nominations, solo and with Destiny's Child . 81 nominations 59 nominations 51 nominations 37 nominations 35 nominations 33 nominations 31 nominations 23 nominations 21 nominations 19 nominations 18 nominations 17 nominations 16 nominations 15 nominations 14 nominations 13 nominations 12 nominations 11 nominations 10 nominations 9 nominations 8 nominations 7 nominations 6 nominations 5 nominations Mare139 Carlos Rodriguez , better known as Mare139 ,
135-661: The film The Good Shepherd as a documenter for the making of the movie and as member of De Niro's editing team. The writing of Rodriguez has been published in Martha Coopers photo book Street Play that documents the imaginative ʻplayʼ of children in the streets of New York in the late 1970s. His writings capture the creative play and dangers of his youth in the South Bronx . In July 2023, Rodriguez's son Leandro with Drena De Niro died at age of 19. Dondi White Too Many Requests If you report this error to
150-453: The media, and bloggers. BET sends out ballots electronically and voters nominate deserving works and artists in all categories who they think should be nominated. Nominations and voting ballots are collated by Yangaroo, Inc. , a leading digital distribution firm that works on many other televised award ceremonies, including those of BET's sister networks under parent company Paramount Global . The top nominees are determined in each category, and
165-420: The moniker "Mare" which was short for "Nightmare". He wrote alongside many of the style masters of his generation among them Kel First, Dondi White , Crash, Kase2, Noc167 and others. This tutelage along with his interest in modernizing the art form lead his interests to contemporary art as a vehicle to re-interpret the concepts and aesthetic of style writing. As a sculptor, Carlos Mare139 Rodriguez's breakthrough
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#1732791688424180-420: The winners are selected via the academy members' voting process. The BET Lifetime Achievement , Humanitarian and Ultimate Icon Award recipients, along with the nominees for other categories are announced in a press conference. At the awards ceremony a mini-documentary is shown covering the honorees' life. The awards are given out separately. The Ultimate Icon Award was created in 2015 and presented in
195-682: Was a breakthrough work in which his interest in re-skinning architecture continued to take form. In 2009, Rodriguez will re-skin his first building using his unique sculptural talents. Works of Rodriguez (as "Mare 139") were included in the 2010 "Art in the Streets" exhibition of graffiti and street art at MOCA in Los Angeles. In 2017 he held the solo Breaking Abstractions exhibit at the Artgang Gallery in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He
210-504: Was created. The Humanitarian Award is given to a celebrity philanthropist who donates their time and money to a charitable cause. In 2015 and 2018, at the fifteenth and eighteenth annual BET Awards, the category of the Ultimate Icon Award was created. It is given to a veteran artist whose career is deemed iconic by fans and critics alike for their notable contributions in the music, dance and music video fields. Below are
225-464: Was with the metal "K" sculpture in 1985. This led to a series of large-scale sculptures that were true to graffiti lettering format, but peeled and folded into space. By 1986, the sculptures departed from the common vernacular of writing to the more complex study Constructivist , Cubist and Futurist ideas, but yet retained its initial feel of graffiti-style writing. His sculptures have been exhibited internationally. Rodriguez also designed and created
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