Hip-Hop A-Listers Diddy, Ludacris, Snoop, The Game and Young Jeezy to Light Up Stage at Inaugural BET HIP-HOP AWARDS on November 15

Hip-Hop A-Listers Diddy, Ludacris, Snoop, The Game and Young Jeezy to Light Up Stage at Inaugural BET HIP-HOP AWARDS on November 15

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- BET announced today that hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg, multi-platinum rapper and Academy award-winning film Crash cast member Ludacris, platinum-selling rapper Young Jeezy, T.I. & Young Dro, The Game, Lil Wayne & Baby are set to perform at the 2006 BET HIP-HOP AWARDS. The all-star roster of participants also includes multi-faceted entertainment mogul Diddy, top nominees Lupe Fiasco and Rick Ross, hip-hop diva Remy Ma, Jim Jones, Rhymefest, Sway, Papoose, DJ Scratch, DJ Drama, Saigon and Styles P. Premiering Wednesday, November 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, the stage is set for the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS to be an electrifying evening of non-stop entertainment, celebrating the history and culture of hip-hop music.

Elevating the star presence at Atlanta's Fox Theatre is red-hot host, comedian/actor Katt Williams. Although hosting an awards show -- particularly one with this caliber of talent -- is no easy gig, Katt says he's up for the challenge. Perhaps best known for his scene-stealing turn as Money Mike in "Friday After Next" and his recent HBO stand-up comedy special "The Pimp Chronicles, Part 1," Williams will lace the historic event with his edgy, brash and hilarious flavor.

Joining Williams in the featured spotlight will be I AM HIP-HOP Icon Award recipient Grandmaster Flash. During hip-hop's nearly 30-year history, few names have become as well known to music lovers across the globe. Flash is among those responsible for inventing hip-hop music as a genre and pioneering the usage of turntables as a musical instrument -- key milestones in hip-hop history.

BET will add some special international flavor to its first exclusively hip-hop salute by unveiling the Best United Kingdom Hip-Hop Act as part of the show. With more than 20,000 votes cast by British music fans through a promotional alliance between BET, MTV Base and 1 Xtra BBC, UK hip-hop artist Sway will receive this first-ever honor at the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS.

To ensure that viewers never miss a beat, the party will kick off with a few specials. You can catch "Tailgatin': The Hip-Hop Awards Nomination Special" airing Friday, November 3 from 7:30-8 p.m. ET/PT. And, we've dug into the vaults in celebration of the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS and found a bunch of your favorite sitcom episodes that feature hip-hop stars like Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Method Man, Redman, Murphy Lee and more that will air Sunday, November 12 from 5-9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Viewers can also tune in to the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS BLACK CARPET pre-show and post-show on November 15 from 8:30-9 p.m. ET/PT and 11-11:30 p.m. ET/PT, respectively.

In addition, BET viewers can cast their votes now at http://www.bet.com/ for their favorite video to win the Alltel Wireless People's Champ Award (Viewers' Choice). Viewers can then tune in to the ceremony to see if their chosen video won, and also check out other interactive features online.

** Please note there is no public ticketing or access to the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS show taping on November 12**

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom, Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 83 million households according to Nielsen media research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, a service venture into the lucrative world of ring tones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, an extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

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