Kendrick, Snoop and Ice

Three of modern hip-hops true figureheads come together for this year's BET experience at the Staples Center.

Topping the bill is Kendrick Lamarr, who is still riding the wave of acclaim which greeted To Pimp A Butterfly in March. A stunningly intelligent album of introspection and social commentary, it contained the tracks I and Blacker the Berry, and was hailed by critics as a seismic shift for the genre.

Also performing is Ice Cube, who together with his bandmates in NWA, brought gangsta rap to the fore in the 1980s with their classic debut Straight Outta Compton. Snoop Dogg completes the headlining triumvaret, performing in support of his most recent record Bush. Schoolboy-Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock round out the bill.