Doechii took home the title of best female hip hop artist at the 2025 BET Awards, and she used her acceptance speech to shed light on the ongoing protests against unlawful immigration raids in Los Angeles.
The “Alter Ego” rapper noted that it was her first time attending the awards ceremony and showed love toward her fellow nominees before noting that “as much as I’m honored by this award, I do want to address what’s happening right now outside of the building.”
“There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order,” she said. “Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.”
“What type of government is that?” Doechii questioned on stage at the 25th BET Awards. On Sunday, a BET spokesperson confirmed that the ceremony would go ahead as planned despite the protests.
A wave of immigration raids in L.A. sparked last week, which led to clashes between protestors and law enforcement across the county. On Sunday, residents gathered around City Hall and the federal courthouse, bringing a freeway to a stop in protest of President Donald Trump’s move to deploy the state’s National Guard. California Gov. Gavin Newsom formally requested that the Trump Administration “rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles County and return them to my command.”
“People are being swept up and torn from their families, and I feel it’s my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people: For Black people, for Latino people, for trans people, for the people in Gaza,” Doechii added. “We all deserve to live in hope and not in fear, and I hope we stand together, my brothers and my sisters, against hate and we protest against it. Thank you, BET.”
Heading into Monday night, Kendrick Lamar topped the nomination list with 10 nods, with the “Denial Is A River” rapper, Future, GloRilla, Future and Drake following close behind with six noms each. The “Yeah Glo!” rapper, too, served as one of the night’s performers alongside Lil Wayne, Teyana Taylor, Playboi Carti and Leon Thomas.
Kevin Hart hosted the 2025 BET Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
