Frank Ocean Page 3

Solange Knowles is set to perform at this year's Lovebox festival.

The 30-year-old musician has been confirmed as one of the artists who will take to the stage at the music extravaganza, which will take place at London's Victoria Park, on July 14 and 15.

And the brunette beauty - who is the sister of Beyoncé Knowles - will be joined by Jamie xx, Chase and Status, Jess Glynne and Rag n Bone Man at the hotly anticipated event this summer.

Continue reading: Solange Knowles Will Perform At This Year's Lovebox Festival

Frank Ocean has responded to the Grammy Awards telecast producers who had criticised him for his performance four years ago, calling them “old” and responsible for “faulty TV” in a new Tumblr post.

Writing on Sunday (February 12th), the 29 year old singer went in with both feet on Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich and writer David Wild, saying “We all die one day and you're old so f*** it,” and citing the moment Taylor Swift won the 2016 Grammy for Album of the Year as an example of how The Recording Academy was behind the times.

Frank Ocean hit back at Grammy producers Ken Ehrlich and David Wild

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Hits Back At Grammy Producers In Tumblr Post

Frank Ocean is being sued by his father, Calvin Cooksey, for defamation over a comment the R&B superstar made about him on Tumblr.

Cooksey, who has been estranged from his son for several decades, is reported to be seeking $14.5 million in damages, claiming Ocean falsely accused him in a blog post of having used the word “faggot” in front of him as a young child, according to TMZ.

Frank Ocean said in a Tumblr post that his father had used a homophobic slur in front of him as a child

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Being Sued For $14.5 Million By His Father For Defamation

Following the huge success of his long-awaited new album Blonde earlier in 2016, the enigmatic star Frank Ocean has announced his first live dates in more than three years next summer, including a show at British festival Lovebox.

In what has been described as a “London exclusive” by Lovebox’s organisers, the 29 year old singer will perform his first British gig since 2013 on July 14th in the capital’s Victoria Park, in what will also be Ocean’s first ever British festival appearance.

Furthermore, Lovebox describes the performance as “one of his only two UK festivals this year” – hinting at an appearance elsewhere in the summer.

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Announces First Live Dates In Support Of 'Blonde'

Frank Ocean has explained why he did not submit his latest album Blonde for consideration at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

In a interview with the New York Times, Ocean said he felt the Grammys were not doing a good job at representing black artists, and decided to have his ‘Colin Kaepernick moment’ and not submit the album.

Frank Ocean's Blonde will not win any Grammys next year

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Not Submitting 'Blonde' For Grammys Consideration Is His "Colin Kaepernick" Moment

Frank Ocean, who is currently on his UK and European tour, has cancelled plans to visit Egypt later this month. Discouraged by the civil unrest in the country, Ocean posted the following message on his Tumblr page: “I really wanted to go to cairo in between [concerts in] europe and australia.. might let things settle some.

Ocean is replacing his trip to Egypt with one to South Africa

“[I'll] go to south africa instead and place some flowers on a gate for the president [Nelson Mandela]. For being epic and 94. All the travel isn't in support of an album or anything like that really- past or ahead. There's no label or touring firm dollars involved. All pennies from my pocket.”

Continue reading: Political Unrest In Egypt Leads Frank Ocean To Cancel Tour Dates

Frank Ocean played London last night, and he’ll do the same tonight. The first of the two sold out shows at 02’s Brixton Academy saw two new songs - Feel California' and ' Anything For You' – played to an adoring crowd.

Frank Ocean looking sharp at TIME 100 Gala TIME'S 100 Most Influential People In The World

The tracks were debuted last month in Munich, but according to Ocean, this tour has nothing to do with a new album. "All the travel isn’t in support of an album or anything like that really - past or ahead. There’s no label or touring firm dollars involved,” he wrote on his blog. “All pennies from my pocket. In support of some odd daydream. Ops to photograph crowds and clouds from planes. Contrast all the quiet with some noise. New noise and old noise..sober crowd, faded crowd. All welcome."

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Treats London Crowd To Two New Songs

Hanson - the 90s pop group who recently released their own brand of beer - are among the acts confirmed the Live Music Day Festival - an online/mobile music festival featuring over 50 musical acts. The event, curated by MTV, CMT and VH1, will take place during the O Music Awards on June 19, 2013.

Elsewhere, Atlas Genius, 2AM Club, Gavin Degraw, Kate Nash and Matt Nathanson will also perform at the event. The OMAs celebrates the best in digital music, featuring categories such as Best Music App and Most Artist Instagram. Yep, you were us correctly, Best Artist Instagram.

This year, Grammy winner Frank Ocean is honored with two nominations for Must Follow Artist on Twitter and the award for Too Much Ass For TV. Fans can vote by heading to OMusicAwards.com or via Facebook or Twitter. Another feature of this year's event is the Make A Band Famous segment, where five up-and-coming  groups will perform during the live show and compete and viewer votes. The band with the most votes will win the distinction of MTV's Artists to Watch, VH1's You Oughta Know or CMT's Listen Up prize. 

Continue reading: Beer Pop-Stars Hanson To Play 24-Hour 'Live Music Day Festival'

Sofia Coppola’s upcoming film The Bling Ring is one of the summers most exciting prospects in cinema, and with it's release date fast approaching movie execs at Paramount have released the playlist for the movie's official soundtrack. Oh yeah, and did we mention that the soundtrack is ridiculously good?

The line-up features a veritable who's who of contemporary modern music, with 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, Sleigh Bells, Phoenix, Frank Ocean, Azealia Bank, M.I.A. and Kanye West, and if that wasn't good enough then there's even some krautrock brought into the mix, including Klaus Schulze and Can. The only problem with this major line-up is now we're not sure what we're looking forward to the most, the movie itself or the soundtrack (who are we kidding, its obviously THAT scene with Emma Watson in the nightclub that everyone is looking forward to the most).

Watch the Bling Ring Trailer!

On top of the glittering line-up on the soundtrack, Coppola has also hooked up with Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never) to score the film; so expect an exciting electronic undercurrent to accompany the a-list soundtrack (which also features a track from Lopatin). In case you're wondering how all these great act will fit into a movie about a group of young criminal stealing from the rich and famous of Los Angeles the you need only to check out the song names, all of which are very fitting for the theme of the movie.

Continue reading: 'The Bling Ring' Soundtrack Might Actually Be Better Than The Film

Frank Ocean! King of the Nerds! That’s right, the people behind the Webbys – those who decide which people have impressed the internet the most over the past year – have decided that the Odd Future member and breakout solo artist has suitably wowed them and their thick-rimmed frames so as to award him The Webby Person Of The Year.

Billboard report that the R&B singer has been recognized by the Webbys "for proving the power of the Web as a medium for cultural change when he announced his bisexuality to his Tumblr community." Nice work there Frank. Elsewhere Jerry Seinfeld has been awarded in the category of outstanding comedic performance, thanks to his 10-episode Web series Comedian in Cars Getting Coffee which showed the Seinfeld star hanging out with comedian friends.

There’s some other big winners too, HBO Go (four awards, including best media streaming service), Lady Gaga (for best celebrity-fan social presence), Conan O'Brien (for best celebrity-fan website) and The New York Times (best news social presence). Just in case you were worried that all of these awards were being given out to celebrities merely to boost the events profile, there are some true tech geeks being honored too – namely Steve Wilhite, creator of the GIF file. A lord among men if ever there was. President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign will also get a special achievement award for its use of technology.

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Named Webby Awards 'Person Of The Year'

The 17th annual Webbys were held tonight (April 30), celebrating the biggest Internet achievements of the year, with the Netflix series House of Cards getting the biggest pat on the back whilst other winners included Frank Ocean, Justin Bieber and The Onion.

Kevin Spacey and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos have proved the worth of quality online programming with House of Cards

House of Cards producers Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti where honoured with a Webby special achievement award for proving that online dramas can be gripping and reward viewing, whilst Netflix also won an award for best streaming media site. The online-turned-full TV comedy series Burning Love was also honoured with a Special Achievement award, with Jerry Seinfeld being handed the Outstanding Comedic Performance award.

Continue reading: Frank Ocean, Barack Obama & 'House Of Cards' Among The Winners At This Years Webby Awards

Frank Ocean was among the winners at the 17th Annual Webby Awards, highlighting achievements on the internet. This year's awards were selected by judges in the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, including Huffington Post boss Arianna Huffington and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

Ocean won for his bold 'Thank You's' letter on his Tumblr, which announced his past relationship with a man. He wrote, "4 summer ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost. Sleep I would often share with him. By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless. There was no escaping." Ocean was roundly applauded for his decision to come out, and has since gone onto enjoy huge success with his album Channel Orange. 

Elsewhere, Jerry Seinfeld won for his web-series Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, which featured guests including Ricky Gervais and Larry David. Actor Kevin Spacey received an award for his role in setting up Netflix's $100 million series House of Cards. 

Continue reading: Frank Ocean, Jerry Seinfeld Win At 17th Annual Webby Awards

Frank Ocean at the TIME 100 Gala in New York 

It was the annual TIME 100 Gala on Tuesday night (April 23rd 2013) celebrating this year's most influential faces from world leaders to movie stars and the red carpet was full of stars waiting to congratulate the 2013 list.

Grammy winning superstar Christina Aguilera dazzled at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York looking classy and much trimmer than she has been in recent months and making the TIME'S 100 Most Influential People In The World list in the Artists category. She was joined by 2013 Grammy and BRIT artist Frank Ocean who has dominated the R&B industry with his spectacular debut album 'Channel Orange' and his rather inspiring love life confessions. Talk show hosts Jimmy Fallon (of 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon') and Jimmy Kimmel (of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!') were also present, as was 'Breaking Bad' star Bryan Cranston whose crime drama has won him a Primetime Emmy. Lena Dunham landed a place in the Icons category for her comedy show 'Girls' which has won her a Golden Globe. Other honourees included Perry Chen, the founder of Kickstarter - a creative project fund-raising website, who reached the Pioneers list, and fashion designer Michael Kors who hit the list of influential Titans of the world.

Continue reading: Lena Dunham And Frank Ocean Among TIME 100 Gala Honourees For 2013 [Photos]

Chris Brown certainly met his match at the Grammys on Sunday evening after making the rather ill-thought-out decision to remain firmly in his seat during a standing ovation for Frank Ocean, who won the award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Adele, 24, looked on as Chris failed to rise from his seat, shaking her head and appearing to give Brown, 23, a piece of her mind.

In fairness, Brown was always going to look silly (especially wearing a white suit) - he fought Ocean in a Los Angeles parking lot around three weeks ago, leaving the Odd Future singer with an injured hand. Though Rihanna's boyfriend applauded the Channel Orange singer, he remained in his seat, much to Adele's chagrin. Once Ocean's acceptance speech was compete, new mother Adele made her way over to Brown to discuss his behaviour, with the R&B star looking rather sheepish and attempting to explain himself. According to the Daily Mail, the pair were later seen hugging and posing - albeit stiffly - for a photograph. The Rolling In The Deep singer did manage to get a picture with two time Grammy award-winner Frank, who rounded off his successful night by making the first televised performance of his track Forrest Gump. 

Other winners at the biggest event on the music calendar included The Black Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Jay-Z and Kanye West.

Continue reading: Chris Brown Gets Almighty Telling Off From Adele Over Frank Ocean Snub

Faith Hill's Braces Were A Huge Talking Point At The Grammy Awards

Faith Hill's braces became the subject of intense discussion and debate during the Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 10, 2013), with the country songstress debuting her new mouth gear. The singer looked stunning in a black J. Mendel gown though confused fans by wearing braces, despite her usually flawless smile.

Hill told country station KNIX that she had braces as a kid, but forgot to wear her retainer. When explaining the need for a second round of dental gear, Faith advised. "Kids, wear your retainer!" Her two eldest daughters with husband Tim Mcgraw - Gracie and Maggie - both wear braces, too. The couple presented an award at Sunday night's 55th annual Grammy Awards and were photographed hanging out with their close friends Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Five-times winner Grammy winner Faith Hill teamed her lavish gown with Lorraine Schwartz jewellery, Tom Ford shoes and a pretty impressive looking Bottega Veneta clutch. 

Continue reading: Faith Hill Braces' Become Unlikely Talking Point Of Grammy Awards 2013 (Pictures)

Rihanna and Chris Brown attended the Grammys like nothing ever happened last night. If only we could say the same for Frank Ocean and Chris Brown. The controversial singer refused to participate in the standing ovation for Ocean when Channel Orange beat out Fortune in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category.

While everyone else was showing their appreciation for the talented Odd Future youngster, Brown remained on his behind. Last month, Ocean accused Brown of punching him after a spat in the car park of a West Hollywood recording studio; they were reportedly fighting over a parking space. Ocean tweeted that he got "jumped by Chris and a couple of guys" and it was reported that he wanted to take things further and get Brown charged (he still might) but as of yet, no formal action has been taken. Singer Adele appeared unimpressed as she clocked Brown refusing to stand. 

That moment of one-upmanship for Frank Ocean will have been short-lived; he was expected to clean up with the critically acclaimed Channel Orange this year yet only managed a solitary nod - Urban Contemporary Album. Beaten to Best Album by Mumford & Sons, Best New Artist by Fun and Record of The Year by Gotye, it turned out to be a rather forgettable night for Frank. Still, it was his first ever Grammy, and we’re sure there’ll be more where that came from.

Frank Ocean appeared at the pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles on Friday, where he admitted to being incredibly nervous about the coming awards themselves, Billboard reports.

Performing a 6 song set at the Ace Museum in Los Angeles, Frank Ocean told the audience: "So it's officially Grammy weekend, which is probably not a big deal for everyone... But it makes me nervous as f**k." With 6 nominations including for Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist Ocean's got nothing to be nervous about. Especially with Channel Orange being such a strong contender. 

Esteemed guests to the show included Busy Phillipps, Alan Cummings, Ashley Benson and Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, and were all equal to the average joes in the audience, as they were treated to renditions of  "Crack Rock," "Monks", "American Wedding", "Sierra Leone," "Thinkin' Bout You," and "Pyramids."

Continue reading: Biting His Nails? Frank Ocean Admits To Being Very Nervous Ahead Of Grammy Awards

Annually, the Grammys is one of the biggest events for music across America and in Europe. In fact, it has dubbed itself 'music's biggest night'. Celebrating the best in pop, hiphop, soul, R&B and much of what comes in between, it never fails to be a veritable who's who from the Spotify playlists of the masses. And this year will be no different. Not only are the nominees ones to look out for, absences are worthy of note, as are this year's presenters and some very special performances.

As Yahoo report, this year's presenters include Grammy royalty, Prince, Beyonce, and Jennifer Lopez, all of whom have been nominated or won Grammys before.  

In terms of performances to look forward to, this year we have some unusual and largely unexpected pair ups. Elton John and Ed Sheeran will take to the stage together. An unusual pairing, they're both Brits with unusual song writing talent. While John is a true showman and is well known for his intereSting outfits and outrageous glasses, Sheeran is distinctly more low key. We're not sure how this is going to work, but we're guessing it'll be great. Bruno Mars, Sting and Rihanna will all also perform together, as will Alicia Keys and Maroon 5, and Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert. 

Continue reading: 55th Grammys Preview: 'Music's Biggest Night' Wont Fail To Impress

An Adele-less Grammy Awards makes for a wide open field in 2013, with many pondering whose going to step up and fill the void that the all-conquering British singer filled last year. From considered opinions to manipulation of statistics, the consensus isn’t easy to gauge, though there seems to be a few trends emerging, namely that some think Fun. could make a surprise sweep, whilst others think Frank Ocean’s also likely to be among the headline makers come Sunday evening (February 10, 2013).

Fun. , lest we forget, are the only artists who have a chance of pulling off a sweep, given that they’re the only ones nominated in all four of the considered ‘big’ categories: record of the year, song of the year, album of the year and artist of the year, and with no other artist making a substantially better claim for pop dominance than their huge hit ‘We Are Young’ and subsequent album Some Nights, they could well be quids in.

Check out Fun's 'All The Pretty Girls' video

Continue reading: Grammy 2013 Winners Predictions: Frank Ocean And The Black Keys Set To Ruin Fun?

Despite not pressing charges, Frank Ocean has accused Chris Brown of threatening to shoot him during their parking lot brawl in Los Angeles last week. According to the official police report - obtained by TMZ.com - Ocean also accuses someone in Brown's entourage of calling him a "fagg*t".

Ocean - who came out last year before the release of his hugely impressive debut Channel Orange - told police that Brown punched him in the face after a disagreement about a parking space. Brown reportedly tried to shake his hand, but when Ocean refused, Brown punched him in the face. According to the report, Ocean said two of Brown's team then jumped in, pushing him into a corner and trying to kick him. That's when he heard someone yell the homophobic slur. 

Cops say Ocean told them that Brown threatened to short him, saying, "We can bust on you too!" The Odd Future singer suffered cuts and bruises in the fight, which lasted about 3 minutes in total, but refused medical treatment at the scene. He later said in his blog that he didn't want to press charges, but reportedly told police that he wanted to see Brown locked up!

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Accuses Chris Brown Of Threatening To Shoot Him (Plus Homophobia)

Frank Ocean has issued a statement, in which he says he will not be seeking any criminal damages from everybody's favourite hate figure, Chris Brown, after he was assaulted by Brown in a car park in Los Angeles last month.

In the statement, posted on his official website, Frank had this to say: "As a child I thought if someone jumped me it would result in me murdering or mutilating a man. But as a man I am not a killer. I'm an artist and a modern person. I'll choose sanity. No criminal charges. No civil lawsuit. Forgiveness, albeit difficult, is wisdom. Peace, albeit trite, is what I want in my short life. Peace."

Forgiveness and wisdom, these are words that could have only come from Ocean's mouth, as something tells us that Brown - who currently ranks amongst the Westboro Baptist Church and the Taliban in terms of opinion polls - is lacking in the two, but at least Ocean knows how to set a good example.

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Drops All Charges Against Chris Brown Following Car Park Assault

Chris Brown doesn’t seem to be able to last very long without getting himself into trouble. Though, this time, reports seem to suggest that it may not have been entirely Brown’s fault. TMZ revealed that Chris Brown and Frank Ocean – along with their various entourages - got themselves into a fight at a recording studio. A bad case of R&B territorialism, by the sounds of it. It was bad enough that the police were called, though an update from TMZ suggests that only Frank was left on the scene when they arrived.

So what was this bust-up all about? Apparently Frank Ocean objected to Chris Brown being at Westlake Studio in LA, where he was recording. Chris was reportedly at the studio to listen to one of the artists that he represents and as he tried to leave, Ocean blocked his path, along with his crew. Sources told TMZ that Frank said “This is my studio, this is my parking spot.” Chris apparently tried to shake Frank’s hand (ever the gentleman, that Chris Brown), but one of Ocean’s people took the opportunity to attack Chris Brown. One of Chris Brown’s friends then jumped in and attacked Frank’s buddy. Frank then reportedly made a move to hit Chris Brown, Chris pushed him away and the pair started fighting.

When the police arrived on the scene, it appears that Chris Brown had already left. No one wants to press charges, so it looks as though this incident may be swept under the carpet. Except everyone will now be wanting to know why Frank seems to have beef with Chris. What’s up, Frank? 

Continue reading: What's With The Beef? Frank Ocean And Chris Brown Brawl At Recording Studio

"The NME Awards is the highlight of the music calendar and the most Rock'n'roll party of the year," says NME editor Mike Williams. He's not wrong, and this year's nominations, which have just been released, prove to make this year's party even better.

The bands to be most proud of their nominations this year are new-comers Haim and Tame Impala, both of which have never been nominated in the awards before. Haim's nominations are for 'Best New Band', 'Best Track', 'Best Music Video' and 'Best Twitter' for Alana Haim (@babyhaim). We're not entirely sure what makes a good Twitter, but we're sure she deserves it, mostly because she posted a photo of her kissing a trout. Tame Impala's nominations are for 'Best International Band', 'Best Album', 'Best Track' and 'Best Music Video'. Also with four nominations each are veterans The Rolling Stones, and controversial act, M.I.A. 

This year's heroes and villains are an interesting bunch with Harry Styles and David Cameron undoubtedly leading the troupe for the villains, while Frank Ocean, Barack Obama and Pussy Riot are all up for the Hero award. 

Continue reading: NME Award Nominations Announced: HAIM And Tame Impala Four Nominations Each

On New Years Eve Frank Ocean was driving in Mono County, CA with a friend when he was pulled over by cops for speeding. Smelling marijuana in the car the police searched the singer and found a bag of weed on him, subsequently meaning that he lost his license. 

As TMZ reported, he was also 'cited' for having tinted windows, which isn't allowed for the windows of either the driver's window, front passenger windows or front window screen, plus his license is already suspended so the cops took his drivers license away meaning that his friend had to drive them both home.

Ocean's second solo album Channel Orange has enjoyed incredible critical and commercial success this year with many publications citing it as the year's best album, including Billboard, the Guardian and HMV's poll of polls. The singer has also pushed the boundaries of hip hop this year when he confessed to falling in love with a man, which largely goes against the male bravado that defines a lot of the genre's popular lyricism. His 'coming out' was met with enormous support and congratulations from his peers and fans alike.

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Finished 2012 On A High, NYE Marijuana Possession Police Run-In

Frank Ocean has treated fans to a brand new track just out of the blue... well, not really. In fact, Frank has actually released a track that was supposed to be in the upcoming film Django Unchained, but didn't quite make the cut.

Quentin Tarantino, the film's writer/director/producer, found that the song didn't quite fit in with any scene in his film and as such didn't see fit to put it in just to make sure he didn't hurt Ocean's feelings. Luckily for them both though, Ocean doesn't seem too bothered about the snub and he has uploaded the track to his Tumblr so his fans can listen to it still.

Speaking to Fuse, Tarantino said that he wanted to include the song but unfortunately there was no part of the film that it would fit in to. He said, "Frank Ocean wrote a fantastic ballad that was truly lovely and poetic in every way, there just wasn't a scene for it. I could have thrown it in quickly just to have it, but that's not why he wrote it and not his intention. So I didn't want to cheapen his effort. But, the song is fantastic, and when Frank decides to unleash it on the public, they'll realize it then."

Continue reading: Frank Ocean Released 'Wise Man': A Track Axed From The Django Unchained Soundtrack

A mixed week for US albums releases; old classics given an airing, a major movie soundtrack launched and hip-hop arTIsts new and old having a stab at chart success. Currently, the top of the US album chart is dominated by Taylor Swift, who’s back at the top with Red, Wiz Khalifa, riding high at number two with O.N.F.C. and Rod Stewart’s festive compilation album, Merry Christmas, Baby.

Eric Clapton’s Slowhand gets a 35th anniversary reissue, having been remastered from the original “1/4 tape. There are four album session outtakes, entitled ‘Looking at the Rain,’ ‘Alberta,’ ‘Greyhound Bus,’ and ‘Stars, Strays and Ashtrays.’ A second disc contains a live performance at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, from April 27, 1977.

One for the completists, then – and more a case of Clapton’s record label rubbing their hands in glee at a cash in, than any real significant moment in his career. The re-release of Slowhand has hardly set the music press alight and we probably don’t need to fetch any fire blankets for the albums chart, either.

Continue reading: Out Now: US Album Releases, Django Unchained OST Features Rick Ross, Chief Keef Banks On Hip-Hop Heavyweight Support, Eric Clapton's Slowhand Revisited

Performing alongside the larger than life, beard-faced, tattoo-drenched Rick Ross, Omarion made waves with his performance at the BET Hip Hop Awards.

Male R&B is enjoying a renaissance, with the mercurial talents of Frank Ocean and the re-emergence of Usher of late, and Omarion’s performance has well and truly proved that he’s another one to be taken seriously. Bounding on stage, dressed solely in white, he accompanied Maybach Music boss, Rick Ross, who had just spat out a topless rendition of Hold Me Back. The pair sang Ice Cold together to a rapturous response from the audience, who were all mouthing proudly along to the frenetic show. Omarion, aka Maybach O, is working on his MMG debut. It has been a busy 24 hours for Ross as last night (October, 9) he dropped his most recent mixtape The Black Bar Mitzvah, followed by the official video for Diced Pineapples.

All this talk of performances, brawls and trouble backstage, and one might be forgiven for forgetting that the BET Hip Hop Awards are exactly that: an awards show. And in that vein, it’s pertinent to mention Kanye West, who cleaned up. He grabbed Producer of the Year, the Made You Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style) and the Perfect Combo Award for "Mercy," along with his G.O.O.D. Music crew. The multiplatinum hit maker took home another three awards for his work with Jay Z as part of the Throne, bringing his total to six.