An African Publicist's first BET Awards Experience and Trip to Los Angeles
How I attended my first BET Awards in Los Angeles
June ended on a high note, and I must share. At the start of the month, I had no plans to be in Los Angeles, let alone attend the BET Awards. But as fate would have it, a last-minute opportunity arose, and I found myself on an unexpected journey.
Two weeks ago, I was on a flight to LA with Drizilik. He was returning to Cali for the BET Experience (the two days of festivities and events organized the weekend leading up to the BET Awards). Last year, Drizilik attended the awards for the first time and decided it should be part of his annual calendar. But we never talked about his publicist, moi, ever going along. However, as the date got closer, and I asked how we could optimize this year's experience for him, he decided to add "road manager" to my publicist title. He asked me to tag along to LA to ensure he could focus on being "Drizilik" while someone else, moi, did the yagba of getting him what he needed, media, and supported his engagements. I was invited to attend the trip to be Drizilik's publicist, content creator, road manager, and personal assistant.
While I knew it would be grueling, I'm not the kind of girl to turn down an all-expenses-paid trip. You feel me?
The BET Experience and Fan Festival
Off to LA we went! We left Dulles in D.C. early in the morning and arrived at LAX in the afternoon. I booked a hotel in Downtown LA, Sonder, The Winfield, which surprisingly (I think because I booked on Expedia) was affordable. The suite was large, and the location was less than a mile from the Los Angeles Convention Center, The Grammy Museum, and the Peacock Theatre (the three major venues for the BET Experience). Sonder is a great place to stay for business travel or vacation. They have a gym and a dope terrace.
At the LA Convention Centre, there was a two-day festival complete with BET Brand and sponsors activations, including a recording mobile studio where fans could freestyle inside a Nissan. The pavilion had a skating rink, a nightclub, and a basketball court. On the outside, small business owners and food trucks sold their wares.
We attended the fan festival on Day 1, checked out the sights for a few hours, and then headed to the BET International Soiree at the Grammy Museum. At the Soiree, Drizilik connected with other artists and executives in the BET family. We were thrilled to meet Emmerson and LA-based Sierra Leonean-American actor Duain Richmond (lead in Fela) at the soiree. Drizilik also reconnected with Monde Twala, SVP at BET International. There was a panel discussion about exporting African talent and innovation to the global market and performances by some artists nominated for the BET International Act Award (won by South Africa's Tyla at the Awards a day later). We stayed at the soiree till pretty late and then called it a night.
Sierra Leoneans in California: The legendary Kei Kamara, Emmerson and Royal Dynamite
Drizilik headed to the studio the next day to work on some tracks with Grammy-Award-winning sound engineer Aiden Duncan. From Aiden's, he connected with a Salone friend who also lives in Cali. We then headed to my highlight of the day, watching the iconic Kei Kamara play for LAFC at home. I hold Kei in very high esteem; I love Kei! This is a known and proven fact to anyone who has followed me this past decade. I first met Kei on Christmas of 2009, when he accompanied me to make donations to an orphanage in Grafton. It has been nothing but love and respect since then. Anyway, yeah, that's how I got to my first MLS game. I bought the LA scarf, so I will never forget it. After the match, which LAFC won against Colorado 3-0, Kei invited us down as "family and friends" to meet him in the tunnel. What else would you do when VIPs from Salone attend your game? Exactly!
We went down and met the Kamara babies and his wife, Kristin. We took photos, laughed, and reconnected, and it was all love.
After the game, we headed back to the hotel to change. We were on the guest list for Emmerson's "Strawberries on Ice" launch party for his new single with Davido. I got there and entered, and it was a full house in the lounge. Davido was there with his wife and entourage (just a few days after their big wedding). We partied at the lounge till about 2 am with Kei and Ralph Diesel, co-founder of Royal Dynamite. From there, we went to some night spots for greasy Nigerian food cause angri bin day soak wi. By the time we ate and got back to the hotel, it was about 4 am. Passed out and woke up about midday on the day of the BET Awards.
Attending the BET Awards
Here's the thing. Tickets to the BET Awards are released on the awards ceremony day. The way I was nervous. What if we don't get our tickets? To come all this way! Anyway, an email came in with details of where to pick up our tickets right as we were getting breakfast, and I could breathe easily. Doors to the awards closed at 4:45 pm, so we had to be there a few minutes before that. I wore Sierra Leonean-American designer Sai Sankoh's blue two-piece. Soooo cute! Drizilik wore a British-Sierra Leonean brand Labrum. If you are going to a glitz event, the right thing to do is to wear Sierra Leonean designers.
The music at the awards was fantastic, topped off by Will Smith and Lauren Hill. The production, too, was top-notch. I remember when all the BET Awards gave was “low budget.” There was nothing low budget about the BET Awards 2024; it was as glitzy and glam a production as any other Hollywood event.
As a Gen-Z'er, I grew up on BET—everything from Hits from the Streets to BET Tonight with Travis Smiley to Comic View. I didn't love everything on BET back then, but never missed an episode of 106 and Park. I tuned in for the BET Awards every year. Still, I never imagined I would ever have a BET Experience, let alone attend the awards. Even though I'm in TV and media, and it seems like a close enough association, after all the years I've spent with my head in the mud of Salone, I had disconnected from America. I disconnected because it felt like to survive in Salone, you had to let go of America to lessen comparison and come to terms with Salone reality. Walking into the BET Awards, I questioned whether that was the right approach.
Africans at the BET Awards (BET International)
Better still, Africa was building in more ways than one–on the stage with Nigerian-American Shaboozey and South Africa’s Tyla and in the audience represented by artists from across the continent like Drizilik from Sierra Leone. Shout out to the folks at BET International for everything they do to ensure that the continent is included and well-represented. I had a fantastic time. As we returned to the hotel, only one thing crossed my mind—everything happens as it should. I thought I had disconnected entirely by going to Sierra Leone. However, in all its madness, Salone-ing had led me here, where I never imagined I could be, doing what I love. Thank you to Drizilik for never giving up on getting me on his team!
If I'm your publicist and you want me to be your PA, travel agent, roadie, stylist, or anything else for the Grammy or Oscar, and it's an all-expenses-paid trip abeg, call me. Ah, day, ya!
Downtown Los Angeles, for the first time review
I love discovering new cities, but LA was underwhelming. We found good food. Highlights for me were Joyce by Michelin-award-winning Chef and co-owner Sammy Monsour (a high-end sea and soul food bistro with chicken and cornbread to die for) and the LA fav Bottega Louie, both in LA’s Jewelry District. However, the downtown area feels like its best days are long gone, and the big buildings seem empty. I don’t know if it’s the pandemic, but homelessness and helplessness hung over everything for me. Everyone we met who lives in L.A. agreed about the city. No one comes to L.A. for the sights; it’s a place to host events and produce things, but then you gotta go home.
