Saweetie
In a press release, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, Connie Orlando, shared, "As we return LIVE with culture's biggest night, this year's show marks many firsts-including the highest number of performers in 21 years of BET Awards; and viewers can expect several surprise moments. Some of today's hottest talent will join us for our return to LA for an unforgettable night celebrating Black excellence."
This year's theme: The Year of the Black Woman. The stars are aligning to "honor and celebrate the immense cultural impact of Black women." From the ultimate cheerleader Taraji P Henson as the host, to showcasing the magic of superheroes like Stacey Abrams and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Queen Latifah, the motif couldn't be more accurate for this year and every year.
Of course, we are here for any celebration of Black women and we are also here for the lewks! After a year of no glam, this feels like Christmas. Keep reading for some of our favorites from this amazing show of Black excellence.
Taraji P. Henson
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We love a hostess with the mostest and this multi-hyphenate boss came to slay dripping in Versace. The high-slit showing off her gorgeous gams, the cutouts, the colors – it's everything. The platform heels and long, silky-straight hair creates a true Hollywood getup ideal for tonight's show.
As the quintessential girls' girl, Taraji told People that she's so thrilled "that young Black and brown girls have a large selection of successful women to look up to like politician and activist Stacey Abrams and historic Vice President Kamala Harris."
Lonnie Chavis
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Somebody tell Lonnie Chavis that we aren't ready for him to grow up because he isn't Lil Randall anymore. Especially in this Dior fit because he looked fire in the matching silk suit. When he's not making us cry on This is Us, he's apparently showing us Black Boy Joy is so real.
Zendaya
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Leave it to the red carpet slayer, Zendaya, to give us all the BET Awards nostalgia we didn't even know we needed. Wearing vintage 2003 Versace, the style icon paid homage to Beyonce by wearing the same dress she donned at the 2003 BET Awards during her unforgettable "Crazy In Love" performance. Zendaya's stylist, Law Roach, always understands the assignment and tonight was no different.
Giveon
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It's not our Heartbreak Anniversary but we are fawning over Giveon's black on black outfit. God took his time with this Black man and we just want to stop and say thank you father!
Saweetie
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Our unproblematic queen, and bestie, Saweetie pulled up to the awards in the most queenly Dolce & Gabbana gown. Please get into this makeup look also because she is glowing like never before. It may have something to do with the way she minds her business and drinks her water but that's just our theory.
Lil Nas X
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"MONTERO" singer, Lil Nas X, glided down the red carpet in a beautifully structured gown. He is living his Cinderella dream and we are so honored that we get to experience his light.
H.E.R.
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We can always depend on this songbird to serve up a crazy, sexy, cool lewk. Her take on the classic suit matches the star-studded night. Fun fact: H.E.R. is celebrating her birthday today at the BET Awards. What better way to celebrate than at the biggest night for the culture celebrating the amazingness of our Blackness.
Sevyn Streeter
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Aaliyah is definitely smiling down from heaven looking at Sevyn Streeter in this pearl-embellished ensemble. From her body giving what it's supposed to had gave to the matching headscarf, Sevyn was definitely a style stunner on tonight's carpet.
Chloe Bailey
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One thing about the elder half of Chloe x Halle, she's going to break the internet when she leaves the house. Wearing a lace netted frock with leather undergraments, she is proof that Black girls are straight magic. Even her locs perfectly drape her face because they know their place on an angel's face.
Ciara
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Alexandre Vauthier must have sewn this onto CiCi's bawdy because it is perfection. She has always been a vision in her lewks but she has really stepped it up as of late; it's safe to say this is a Ciara stan account.
Tyler, the Creator
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Oh, Tyler. Thanks for being you. We need little Black boys to see your quirkiness and know that it's OK to try different things. We are not a monolith and that's what makes us.
Ashanti
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Baby, baby, baby, baby, babbbbbyyyyyyy... Ashanti always reigns supreme whenever she graces us with her presence. This Julien Macdonald gown exudes whimsy on the Long Island native's melanated skin. The high pony paired with the plunging neckline deserves its own award.
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If you've been following pop culture lately, you are aware of rapper Saweetie and Quavo's breakup and more recently, self-proclaimed relationship expert Derrick Jaxn being accused of (and later admitting to) cheating on his wife. While neither of these situations are mine or anyone else's business, I think it's important to note a teachable lesson when one arises. I'll start with my own story.
A few years ago, I penned an article urging people to stop making others their relationship goals. I included myself in the mix as I was newly married and cringed every time someone commented, #goals under my pictures. It wasn't that I thought people shouldn't aspire to marriage or getting to be married to their best friend, it was that I was aware that like any marriage, mine was not perfect and the people commenting were virtually strangers to the ins and outs of our relationship.
Similar to how people see a woman like Saweetie being gifted with expensive bags, cars and trips, and immediately become envious, or begin wishing they had her relationship. The truth is, what we see on Instagram or in the media is not necessarily the truth. Not the whole truth anyway.
We are viewing clips, sometimes carefully orchestrated, edited and Facetuned highlight reels into someone else's life. We rarely see the lows, the depression, the bad days. We don't see the infidelity, the abuse, and don't always hear the horror stories.
Instead, we place people on pedestals. The danger in doing that, in marking relationships as your goals, is that you have no idea what is taking place in that relationship. Do you want a man who is outwardly affectionate but physically, mentally, emotionally or sexually abusive in private? Are you looking for someone who buys you everything your heart desires but cheats on you and exposes you to diseases or brings home an outside baby? Do you aspire to have a man who looks good on your arm but treats you like dirt and puts you down every chance he gets?
Of course, we all want a happy ending. We want a couple to look up to and say, "See, they made it, we can too." We want to root for love, for black love. We want to see a woman truly loved and adored by her man because then we know it's possible for us too. We want the fairy tale, we want to know that the love story between Darius and Nina kept going, we want to know that true love exists. So we look for it in others. We root for the beautiful couples in the spotlight and ask what were their prayers. How can I too find the man of my dreams?
It's beautiful for us to want this for others and ourselves but rarely do we know exactly what we are asking for.
I believe in the power of prayer and manifestation. I believe that we can truly speak things into existence and because of this, I try to be very careful with the things I say. While it's beautiful to want the man of your dreams, make sure that's what you are making your goals: the man of YOUR dreams, not someone else's. Before we get heartbroken again because you placed another celebrity couple on your endless goals list, how about we make some real goals? Write out a list of what you want in a man without comparing him to another man. Simply think of things you want and need in a partner, and in a relationship, and write it down.
Remember, no man, woman, or relationship is perfect. While it can be fun to root for celebrities and their love lives, may we always remember to never idolize any man, woman or relationship.
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Over the weekend, darling couple, Saweetie and Quavo set the internet on fire when they (she) announced that they had broken up.
And celebrities break up every day, b. But in this case, it’s more so about how publicly it happened.
Saweetie took to social media to announce the “news" after much speculation. She went on to say:
“I emotionally checked out a long time ago and have walked away with a deep sense of peace and freedom. Excited for this new chapter of elevation."
Sidebar: That's some unapologetic shit right there, love to see it.
Anyway, Quavo went on to basically blame her for her calling out his infidelity (make it make sense). To which she responded with a tweet that traveled around the world:
Twitter
Ouch.
But for me, all this isn't about the fact that they decided to split, or how publicly it was done. It's about the gems our girl dropped when doing so—specifically:
“Presents don't band aid scars."
I felt that. You felt that.
Since the beginning of their relationship, Saweetie has bragged on the extravagant lifestyle that she has, including the gifts that Quavo has given to her. For Christmas, he gave her a custom Bentley to match her brand, and a few months prior, she said on IG Live:
"If he not getting you a Birkin, if he not paying for your bills, then throw that n**** back to the streets, OK?"
She later clarified her comments saying:
"Well, you know, one thing that people have to realize is I'm an entertainer and I come to entertain. So that was an entertaining comment. Like Jay-Z says at the end of 'Ignorant Shit,' he goes, 'It's only entertainment,' and then he does this little evil laugh. I was having a good time promoting [her single] 'Back to the Streets.' And, you know, I'm popping my s**t for my girls. But I feel like a Birkin symbolizes a gift of value."
So, to see her tweet about why receiving gifts in response to being hurt is problematic, shows her maturity and growth as a woman.
And as an empowerment hub for all black women, and as fans of Saweetie and what she represents and provides to the culture, that's the kind of growth we love to see.
We're excited for your next chapter, sis!
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Featured image by Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com
Saweetie has captured all of our hearts, simply by being her joyous, carefree self. She's unproblematic, she minds her business. She lives out loud and by her own rules. And she loves her boyfriend, Quavo, publicly for the world to see. The two began dating in 2018, when Quavo infamously slid in her DMs with a cute—or cheesy, depending on who you ask—pick-up line. Since, the two have been inseprable, making headline after headline, traveling the world, and attending various (pre-COVID) award shows as young hip-hop royalty.
And even so, Saweetie never allowed her personal life to deter her from knowing boldly, and unapologetically, that she's exactly where she's supposed to be.
She discussed what this means recently, while on the promo trail for her current projects. When asked about her bae, and how she navigates her high-profile relationship, she told the ladies of The Real:
"In the beginning, it was difficult because as a woman, especially a woman in hip-hop, they're always trying to credit a man for a woman's success, which is why I kind of tip-toed around the relationship, and which is why I gave y'all the answers that I gave y'all back in the day."
She continued:
"But now that I am just continuing to persevere with success and just consistency, the relationship is what it is now. We love each other, we support each other, we give each other advice, so it's nice, it's cute, and it's...relationship-y."
In a past visit to the show, Saweetie downplayed their relationship, saying instead that "they had worked together" and "been getting to know each other" to which the ladies saw through all the Maybelline and called her out various times. And playing coy likely worked in the long run, being that she has had multiple chart-topping singles, and one in current rotation, "Best Friend". She also has even began adding acting credits under her belt, which is the direction she plans on taking her career once she becomes more rooted in her current passion of music.
"I know I'm known as a fashion girl, music girl, beauty girl, but before all of that, I'm a business girl."
*poetry snaps*
And not only does Saweetie take credit for her own damn success, her brand is also based on pulling up other women with her with frequent collaborations with other female artists, creating what she describes as "empowering, inspiring, but also fun," music, thus redefining and proving her bankability—which is all part of her very calculated master plan, of course.
Aight, sis, tap in.
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Featured image by Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com
