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GloRilla won her first BET Award at the 2025 show, taking home the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award for her song Rain Down on Me with Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music. She’s the first female rapper to win in this category.
On June 10, gospel artist Deitrick Haddon criticized the decision in an Instagram video, saying GloRilla shouldn’t have won. He called it “discouraging” and “disappointing,” and claimed the gospel genre is “dying” because its artists aren’t being recognized.
"It's already a small genre, so it's hard for us to watch the Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel Award being given to somebody that's not in our space. No disrespect to the artist, but that's not the space she's in. So, it makes it discouraging, disappointing, and it takes the wind out of all of it, and we wonder why Gospel music is dying," Haddon stated.
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Deitrick Haddon also stated that one person shouldn't be awarded every time, as if they are the only one keeping gospel music going, seemingly referring to Kirk Franklin's numerous awards.
"We're tired of seeing the same people being celebrated year after year like there is nobody else in Gospel music. Like no one else is working. You cannot just give it to one person as if they're the one that's keeping [the genre] going," the singer said.
The Instagram page @theshaderoom reposted Haddon's video.
Who is Deitrick Haddon, and what did GloRilla say about gospel music?
Deitrick Haddon is recognized for blending R&B, hip-hop, and soul with gospel. His 2002 album, Lost and Found, gained mainstream success, reaching number one on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts.
His other albums, including Crossroads, Revealed, Church on the Moon, and Masterpiece, also performed well on the charts. Haddon also appeared on the reality television show Preachers of L.A.
GloRilla appeared on the Tamron Hall Show in April 2024 to discuss her music journey. When the host asked the rapper about her name, Gloria Hallelujah Woods, GloRilla said that her parents are devout Christians.
"Both my mom and dad were Christians, and we were in church all the time. If church could've been open seven days a week, we would've been there every day," the rapper said.
The 25-year-old Memphis rapper said that as a child, she spent years in church, and she wanted to be a gospel singer. She also shared that her parents didn't allow her to listen to any other music. Her interest in hip-hop began when her parents stopped homeschooling and sent her to a public school.
She told Tamron Hall that she is still religious, and it helps her distract herself from negativity.
"I always have to put God first in whatever I do. I just don't let too much negativity get to me," she said.
GloRilla will feature on BTS member j-hope's new single, Killin' It Girl, which is set to be released on June 13, 2025.
