Erykah Badu was a surprise guest rapper at the end of one of the cyphers on the BET Hip-Hop Awards last night. After freestyles from Bri Steves, Neelam Hakeem, Sharaya J, and Chika, the neo-soul legend was revealed as the segment’s shadowy DJ. A strikingly-clad Badu ran through the most playful verse of the session, backed by some slight instrumental punctuation, ending up with “Walkin’ around/Runnin’ your town/BET cypher’s going down.”
Erkyah Badu gave an NPR Tiny Desk concert this summer, performing classic tracks from her early career. She also helped lead a protest against Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court in D.C. earlier this month. Another notable moment from the BET cyphers was a censored freestyle by Vic Mensa which called out the late XXXTentacion for being a domestic abuser. Watch the BET cypher featuring Badu below.
.@bristeves, @Sharaya_J, #CHIKA, @official_neelam, and @fatbellybella shake up the cypher game! #HipHopAwardshttps://t.co/KhsUaAJg2B
— #HipHopAwards (@HipHopAwards) October 17, 2018
