Getty Lil Duval hosts the 2019 Hip Hop Awards.
Tonight, Lil Duval will be hosting the 2019 Hip Hop Awards. In the words of BET, Lil Duval, whose real name is Roland Powell, is no stranger to the spotlight. The outlet writes, “He lights up the room with his infectious humor, individual style and charm.”
Want to learn more about Lil Duval and tonight’s Hip Hop Awards? Read on.
He Was a Finalist on BET’s ‘Coming to the Stage’
Lil Duval has made a name for himself in the world of comedy. In 2005, he was a finalist on BET’s comedy competition series Coming to the Stage. He went on to appear as a series regular on the MTV shows Guy Code and Hip Hop Squares.
In 2017, the artist made headlines after making transphobic comments during his interview with The Breakfast Club. The Fader writes, “During his appearance on the radio show on Friday, Lil Duval told the hosts of the Power 105.1 show that he would kill a sexual partner if he found out that she was a transgender woman.” The interview immediately sparked protests. As The Fader points out, activists took to social media to respond to the comedian’s comments with the hashtags #BoycottBreakfastClub, #TransLivesMatter, and #TransFolksAreNotJokes.
Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox wrote on Twitter, “Some folks think it’s ok to joke about wanting to kill us… We have free speech but that speech has consequences and trans folks are experiencing the negative consequences with our lives. It hurts my spirit cause this isn’t funny. Our lives matter. Trans murder isn’t a joke.”
TMZ reports that after the interview aired, fans pushed on social media for a boycott of “The Breakfast Club”.
He Will Perform with KaMillion
At the 2019 Hop Hop Awards, Lil Duval will hit the stage with rapper, singer, and songwriter KaMillion, who has worked with Trey Songz, Jordin Sparks, and Rihanna in the past. Discussing how it was to collaborate with Lil Duval, KaMillion recently shared, “It was amazing! He’s from my hometown. So everybody is going to be watching this. We reppin’ for Florida, we reppin’ for Jacksonville.”
Powell was born and raised in Jacksonville. He moved to Atlanta after graduating from high school to focus on his music.
Last year, the artist released “Smile (Living My Best Life)”, featuring Snoop Dogg and Ball Greezy. The song peaked No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the film world, Duval has appeared in Stomp the Yard 2, School Dance, Scary Movie 5, Grow House, The Trap, and Meet the Blacks. What’s he up to these days? BET writes, “Lil Duval is currently traveling throughout the U.S. on his Living My Best Life Tour, and he recently released the new track ‘City Boy Wit It,’ a dance song highlighting the trending topic Hot Girl Summer vs. City Boy Summer. Lil Duval continues to prove he is a versatile talent, here to make the world more carefree through his music and comedy.”
Be sure to tune into tonight’s broadcast tonight at 8pm ET/PT.
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BET Hip Hop Awards Host 2019 Is Lil Duval