Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane and Swizz Beatz Confirmed to Perform During the BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10, Premiering Tuesday, October 12 at 8:00 P.M.*

Hip Hop's Leading Night Brings Together A-List Celebrities Including Mo'Nique, Taraji P. Henson, Nicki Minaj, Common, Martin Lawrence, Keri Hilson and Missy Elliot for an Explosive Night of Tributes and Performances

NEW YORK, Sept. 23 -- The fifth annual BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 is fully charged and ready to deliver the most electrifying show yet. Hip Hop's leading contenders Rick Ross, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane and Swizz Beatz are the first acts confirmed to perform during this year's highly anticipated event on Saturday, October 2 with the network premiere on Tuesday, October 12 at 8:00 p.m.* Oscar-award winning actress, comedian and BET late-night host Mo'Nique and R&B sensation Keri Hilson are confirmed presenters with special appearances by breakout female rap star Nicki Minaj, rapper and actor Common, Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson, actor and comedian Martin Lawrence and multi-platinum selling artist Missy Elliot.

Hosted by actor and funny man Mike Epps, the BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 is ready to salute the best of the best in hip hop culture from the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Legendary female rap trio Salt (Cheryl James), Pepa (Sandra Denton) and Spinderella (Deidra "Dee Dee" Roper) of Salt-n-Pepa will be honored as this year's I AM HIP HOP AWARDS ICONS.

This year, BET once again teams up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the Grammy Awards� and the record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Stephen G. Hill, BET President of Music Programming and Specials, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of Specials, are executive producers of the telecast.

Tickets for the BET HIP HOP AWARDS '10 are by invite only and not available for purchase.

For more information, please visit www.bet.com/specials/hiphopawards10/.

*All times are ET/PT.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.