It was announced Wednesday that comedian Chris Rock will take on hosting duties at this year’s BET Awards show airing in June.
AllHipHop News reports that this is the first time Rock has hosted the award sow, and is his first music hosting gig since the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. BET has been eyeing the audacious comedian as a host since the induction of its music award ceremony in 2001.
President of Music Programming Stephen G. Hill said in a statement, “Mr. Rock is a comedic genius with a rapier wit who is a keen observer of pop culture. We’re looking forward to what he is to unleash on June 29th.”
According to MTV, the all-star event will take place at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, and hip hop heavies like Drake, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z are leading the nominations. Other artists up for nominations include August Alsina and Pharrell Williams.
Rock, an avid hip hop fan, revealed his excitement for the hosting opportunity, commenting, “The BET Awards is like a party where nothing is off limits. My peers have done the show now it’s my turn.”
The BET Awards will air June 29th at 8pm EST.