BET Hip Hop Awards 2008

The 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards were filmed last night in Atlanta and featured a slew of great performances, including a collaborative effort by MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Salt-n-Pepa. In other group performances, DJ Khaled, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Fat Joe, Birdman and Rick Ross took home the award for Best Hip Hop Collaboration for the song “I’m So Hood (The Remix)”.

T-Pain

Although comedian Katt Williams was originally scheduled to host the event, he was replaced by T-Pain. Also making an appearance was T.I., who missed his headliner appearance at last year’s show after being arrested on federal weapons charges.

As for the awards presented during the show, they included the “I Am Hip-Hop” icon award, which was given to Russell Simmons. The award is presented each year to the person who has made notable contributions of outstanding significance to the hip hop community. Lil Wayne took home three awards, including Lyricist of ‘08, MVP of the Year, and the People’s Champ. Shawty Lo won MySpace Rookie of the Year.

See all the nominees here. The full list of winners will not be released until the show. The 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards will air October 23.

See more photos of award show performers and a video of the performance below.