In the 2000s, college students from all over would pack their bags and catch a flight to attend BET's Spring Bling for their spring break vacation.
During the two-day extravaganza at Rivera Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida, Spring Bling attendees encountered their favorite artists. The show was a public event and included various activities, gift giveaways, judged contests and battles for everyone to enjoy.
The event segments featured during the iconic beach week included: Beach Towel Throwdown, a series of performances by the hottest hip-hop and R&B artists; Spring Bling Third Wheel, was a live dating show with a twist; Revamped, a dance battle competition in front of celebrity judges among two worldwide teams; Rip The Runway, during live performances models would showcase their summer bodies in the latest bathing suit trends; Get to Step-in was a step competition between the best step teams in the nation; and Freestyle, a rap competition between two MC's battling it out for the Spring Bling champion title in front of celebrity judges.
Spring Bling also had the most fly hosts, from AJ and Free, to Rocsi and Terrence and Julissa and Big Tigger. BET's Spring Bling also used its platform to educate its audience with their Rap-it-Up partnership with the Palm Beach Department of Health and the Comprehensive AIDS Program of Palm Beach County to ensure safe on-site HIV testing.
Spring Bling wouldn't be the event without memorable performances from artists like G-Unit, Soulja Boy, Ciara, Chris Brown and more. Here are 15 of the most memorable performances of Black beach week.
1.
Everyone was singing along when 50 Cent and G-Units Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, DJ Whoo Kid lit the stage, performing 50's hit record "Many Men" and "What Up Gangsta" at the 2003 Spring Bling.
2.
Spring Bling was the place to be in 2003. The legendary Lil Kim Performed "The Jump Off" with Big Tigger hyping the entire crowd with their NY energy.
3.
The princess of Atlanta, Ciara, performed her top-charting singles "1, 2, Step" and "Goodies" for her fans at the 2005 Spring Bling.
4.
This rendition pulls on our nostalgic strings-Jeezy performed a medley of his hottest tracks at the 2006 Spring Bling.
5.
Hip-hop Legend LL Cool J had everyone's head sprung at the 2006 Spring Bling while performing "Control Myself" and "Headsprung."
6.
In 2007, Chamillionaire had the crowd going crazy as they bumped to "Ridin Dirty" and "Turn It Up."
7.
Soulja Boy performed a medley of his crowd favorites back at the 2008 BET Spring Bling in Riviera Beach, Florida.
8.
Missy Elliot, Ludacris, and Nelly performed some of our all-time favorites from "She's a b," "I Wanna Lick You," and "Ride Wit Me" during Spring Bling's Beach Towel Throwdown in 2001.
9.
It's the gold sequenced outfits in 2007 for us. Pretty Ricky brought the heat to Florida when they performed "Grind With Me" for their die-hard fans.
10.
Keyshia Cole didn't need to have the crowd in their R&B bags like that, but she did at Spring Bling 2006 while performing "Should've Cheated" and "LOVE."
11.
The first lady of the record label, Disturbing the Peace (DTP), Shawnna owned her performance alongside Ludacris at the 2006 Spring Bling.
12.
Spring Blingers loved Lil Boosie and Webbie 2008 performance as they all rapped along to the club anthems "I.N.D.E.P.E.N.D.E.N.T" and "Wipe Me Down."
13.
The 2006 Spring Bling crowd was overly hyped when T.I performed hits off his KING album including, " Shoulder Lean" and "What You Know."
14.
Paul Wall's 2006 Spring Bling performance featured his classic hits "Grillz" and "Sittin' Sidewayz."
15.
The ultimate entertainer, Chris Brown, did what he had to do on the BET Spring Bling stage. Brown performed "Transform You," "Drop it low," and "Back to the crib" for the spring breakers in 2010.
BET's Spring Bling is a part of Black history's evolution of rich culture and highlights our expansion in music, entertainment, and the iconic hip hop artists from all over.
