The Source Awards: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Photo credit: BET Nelly, left, and P. Diddy perform at The Source Awards. Nelly won for artist of the year.

By Aaron Rogers
Black College Wire

Not the Grammys, not the American Music Awards and not the MTV Awards. It's the Source Awards that mean the most to the hip-hop community.

The 2003 Source Hip-Hop Awards took place Oct. 13 at the Miami Arena in Florida, with the show broadcast Nov. 4 on Black Entertainment Television during "sweeps" week (and scheduled for rebroadcast Nov. 20).

This is something that no hip-hop fan can miss, the only awards show geared toward hip-hop. The awards honor not only the artists, but the fans.

Many were disappointed that the show was not held last year. This might have had something to do with the stabbing of three people outside the Miami spot that served as the "host club" for the 2001 awards.

Let's recap the show for those who missed it on television. Then the good, the bad and the ugly:

Wyclef Jean opened with a song from his upcoming album that suggests that "black-on-black crime needs to stop."

There were performances by Cam'ron, Fabolous and Tamia, Ja Rule, Trina, D-Block, Murphy Lee, Nelly and P.Diddy, Dirty South (which includes Lil Jon, David Banner, Lil' Flip, Ying Yang Twins, Youngbloodz and Bone Crusher).

Arnold Turner photographed exclusively for The Source. Wyclef Jean told the crowd that "black-on-black crime needs to stop."

Dirty South brought down the house with its medley of songs.

The set, which was called Club Dirty, was a club scene that included real strippers (who took everything off) and men dressed as pimps.

After the performance, Lil' Flip said, "That sh*t was crazy. I did not think that it was going to get that wild."

And wild it did get, as more and more people ran on stage during the seven-minute performance. "I wanted to go out there and rip that b*tch up, and that's exactly what we did," said Banner.

50 Cent was the night's biggest winner, despite the bad relationship he has with The Source magazine, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. He won three awards, for breakthrough artist of the year, single of the year -- male, and album of the year.

Ja Rule accepted one of 50 Cent's awards, which could have been a diss, knowing that they don't get along.

Other big winners were Lil' Kim (artist of the year -- female, single of the year -- female) and Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz (artist of the year -- group, video of the year).

LisaRaye and Treach of Naughty by Nature hosted the two-hour show.

The Good

• #3. Trina. Fellas, she is really the baddest chick. All of the girls were fine, but Trina was something serious. That was one of the nicest behinds this observer has seen in 20 years on this earth.

• #2. Most of the artists were very friendly and respectable, even though many might rap about street life and how hard they are. Cam'ron said "yes, sir; no, sir" every time this reporter asked him a question. David Banner was running around with fans as if they were his best friends. Lil' Flip invited the reporter to his dressing room to "chill," and he and Bone Crusher both gave him their personal phone numbers.

• #1. No one was killed. There were no gun fights and everyone left alive. There was one fight, but it was outside, and stopped quickly.

The Bad

• #3. Presenters can't read. A lot of the presenters had problems reading the cue cards. While most just stumbled over words, Redman just gave up and said, "I can't read that sh*t."

• #2. Weed smoking. Some of the artists were smoking weed while they were practicing on stage (this stuff is still illegal, right?) As a reporter walked down the hall leading to all the dressing rooms, he started to get high himself. As the only one not smoking, he felt as though he was the one who was wrong.

• #1. Rappers turned back because of guns. As many of the rappers tried to enter Miami Arena, they were rebuffed because they had guns. The security guard would tell them, "Just take it back to the car so I won't have to call the police."

The Ugly

• #3. Nelly's 5-year-old dancers. During the performance by Nelly, Murphy Lee and P. Diddy, two little girls came out and started shaking their tail feathers. At first I thought it was cute, but those little girls were doing that dance better than some of the professional dancers.

• #2. Ja Rule's crew. Ja Rule's people complained the entire time I was there. Fifteen minutes before the show, he decided that he did not like his set anymore and that it had to be changed.
  
  One of his bodyguards hit a man because the Dirty South dressing room (which held Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz, David Banner, Lil' Flip, Ying Yang Twins, Youngbloodz, Luke Campbell and Bone Crusher) had more sofas than his did. Twelve people vs. one person. Who do you think would have more sofas?

• #1. Intoxication during the show. A lot of the artists were intoxicated, but some could hold their alcohol better than others. Da Brat was clearly messed up. One of the Ying Yang Twins and comedian Shaw-tay got a little liquor in them and could not be still. Both were running around yelling for no reason.

Aaron Rogers, a student at Albany State University in Albany, Ga., writes for The Student Voice.

Posted Nov. 6, 2003

Updated Nov. 15, 2003