The winners of the 2022 BET Awards have been announced with platinum-selling Nigerian afrobeats, Wizkid, the emerging winner of the Best Collaboration of the year.
Culture’s biggest night returned on Sunday, June 26, with the future Color Purple star Taraji P. Hensen on hosting duty for the second year in a row. Sunday’s festivities are celebrating industry legend Diddy, which included presenting him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Wizkid (now known in recent times as Big Wiz) won in the fiercely contested category for his Billboard-rated single “Essence” remix (featuring Tems and Justin Bieber). He claimed victory over “Every Chance I Get,” DJ Khaled Feat. Lil Baby & Lil Durk, “Family Ties,” Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar, “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Feat. SZA, “Way 2 Sexy,” Drake Feat. Future & Young Thug and “Whole Lotta Money” (Remix), Bia Feat. Nicki Minaj.
“Essence”, produced by P2J and Legendury Beatz, was released on 9 April 2021, as the fourth single from Wizkid’s fourth studio album, Made in Lagos. The “sensual” song sees the Wizkid and Tems express their desire for each other. A music video was released on 9 April 2021, shot in Accra, Ghana. “Essence” is the first Nigerian song in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200.
A remix of “Essence” featuring additional vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber was released on 13 August 2021 and appears on the deluxe edition of Made in Lagos.
