BET’s annual Hip-Hop and Soul Train Awards are being suspended indefinitely, according to NME. While BET is known for being leader in black entertainment, so much so that their award shows are sometimes used for tributes to black entertainers, we are seeing the removal of their usual programs.
BET CEO Scott Mills confirmed to Billboard, “We have suspended the Soul Train and Hip-Hop award shows.” When speaking about whether or not the award shows will return, he goes on to say that they “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.”
“I would say that it’s less about them being no longer and more about our team having to reimagine them for this changing media landscape that we find ourselves in,” Mills said, which leaves hope for fans of the award shows and leaves us thinking of how they will be different when we next see them.
The BET Hip-Hop Awards first launched in 2006 and have since been run annually, and are typically held in October. Meanwhile, the Soul Train Music Awards first premiered in 1987, and have been a cornerstone of the awards show circuit in America. Concerns that the award show was struggling arose last year, when BET skipped the ceremony without telling fans ahead of time.
Additionally, the official social media accounts for the Soul Train Music Awards have not been active since March of last year. The awards are usually held in November.
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