Rap superstar GloRilla and Deitrick Haddon just sparked a holy war in gospel music after the 2025 BET Awards.
The 2025 BET Awards just happened, and while many celebrated the night, gospel superstar Deitrick Haddon is not mincing words about one particular win. He’s calling for nothing less than a “complete reset” for the entire gospel music industry after rapper GloRilla took home the coveted Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award.
On Monday, June 9th, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, GloRilla, who entered the BET Awards ceremony with a whopping six nominations, snagged the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award. She beat out some serious gospel heavyweights, including Maverick City Music, Tamela Mann, and Yolanda Adams. The controversial win was for her song “Rain Down On Me,” which notably features Kirk Franklin and Maverick City Music.
The day after the awards, Deitrick Haddon didn’t hold back. He took to social media, specifically Instagram, in a three-minute video to sound off on what he believes is a “poor representation of the genre” at the annual awards ceremony. He declared, “The gospel music industry needs an overhaul period after last night’s show. It’s an indicator that we just need a complete reset. Like, like, what are we doing?”
Haddon didn’t stop there. He passionately emphasized that the genre needs people who are “in the trenches of gospel music,” those who genuinely understand, advocate for, and represent the genre from the inside. He didn’t just question GloRilla’s win; he called out the entire structure of how awards are handed out in the genre, pointing to what he sees as favoritism and the repetitive recognition of the same artists.
“We are tired. Nobody will say this, but I will, of seeing the same people being celebrated year after year, like there is nobody else in gospel music,” he asserted.
While Haddon admitted that GloRilla’s win might have been great for BET’s ratings, he stressed that it certainly wasn’t a win for the Gospel music industry as a whole.
This is a heated debate, and Deitrick Haddon is ready to lead the charge for change! What do you think? Was GloRilla’s win a step forward or a sign that the gospel music industry needs a serious look in the mirror?
