Here’s how we rank the 16 performances from Culture’s Biggest Night, from worst to best.
16. Moneybagg Yo!, “Time Today”
Moneybagg Yo! certainly had time today to party with a live rendition of his lead single from his Billboard 200 No. 1 album A Gangsta’s Pain. But it wasn’t as rich as the Benjamin Franklins that flashed on the screen and on the stage.
15. DaBaby, “Ball If I Want To”
DaBaby was outbabied at his own performance with the giant baby figure. Staying true to the “Ball If I Want To” music video, the self-proclaimed Billboard Baby took a break from topping the charts and decided to top a gym class rope-like braid, where elsewhere in P.E., a group of older men were shooting hoops.
14. Roddy Ricch, “Late At Night”
While the evening skyline came alive within the Microsoft Theater, the backdrop and dazzling backup dancers outshined Ricch’s vocals that were so Auto-Tuned at times, they were as crystalline as the lights behind him.
13. Lil Baby & Kirk Franklin, “We Win”
Franklin reminded the BET Awards that it was Sunday by bringing church to the stage with a beaming cobalt blue-wearing gospel choir for his and Lil Baby’s Space Jam: A New Legacy anthem “We Win.” But the rapper’s particularly mellow demeanor was a stark contrast to the gospel legend’s bold presence and lackluster in comparison to the choir’s energy. Considering the powerful performance Lil Baby brought to the 2021 Grammys with “The Bigger Picture,” he could’ve had that same impact on BET and ultimately fell short.
