The highlight of last night's BET Hip Hop Awards might have been when Missy Elliott came out during the Chris Lighty tribute to rap "Get Ur Freak On," as she does sporadically. The crowd freaked out, as it also does sporadically.

However, sprinkled throughout the show were gems in the form of crew cyphers, which featured associated rappers spitting over a basic, Golden Era-sounding beat. Ruff Ryders impressed me the most because I expected the least from them. DMX in particular has never struck me as one heavily invested in craft. But he and everyone else delivered. Eve's verse (listen below) makes up for yesterday's lackluster comeback single "She Bad Bad."

Also of note was the Man with the Iron Fists cypher, featuring Childish Gambino, Joey Bada$$, his partner in like-minded nomenclature, A$AP Rocky and Angel Haze, who recently signed to Universal and is killing it currently.