It wasn’t all about the bling, but there was a lot of it.

From the mouth of Lil Wayne (pictured at right) to Russell Simmons’ shirt. There were gold changes galore with any number of ornaments dangling from them in predictable hyperbole. Pants did sag, but there seems to be light at the end of the droopy drawers tunnel. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

There are many ways to be hip hop and that was evident in the proceeding Thursday night at BET’s Hip Hop Awards 2008 ceremony in Atlanta, also known as the most elaborate Barack Obama rally to date. There were tributes to the Democratic presidential candidate all night in songs, video slide shows and speeches. The refrain was a barrage of pleas to get out and vote, not just applaud. If the audience grew tired of the insisting, they didn’t show it.

You never know what you’re going to see when the attire calls for formal hip hop attire, but it’s safe to say it will always be a wide sweep of amped up pop culture fashions, including nerdy prep, track suit chic, vampy diva and tom boy tough.

There was the lady-like sophistication of Kerry Washington and Ciara (pictured above) and the “need a rough neck” skin-tight glam motorcycle looks from MC Lyte. Lil Wayne (the big award winner of the evening) looked like he was dressed to buy a slushie at the corner store (and who knows what he was sipping from a triple stacked Styrofoam cup), meanwhile 50 Cent looked ready for GQ in a nicely fitted beige blazer, a coordinating striped button-down shirt and there wasn’t even a hint of sag in his jeans. It’s a strange day when 50 Cent is the elder statesman, but we like it.

Also pictured: T-Pain (above middle, he was a last minute substitute host for Katt Williams who inexplicably and inexcusably dropped his hosting duties the day before the show); Russell Simmons (above right, who was given an award for being a hip hop legend called, “I am Hip Hop”; and that’s recording artists Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D and Common sporting black rimmed professor specs; MC Lyte was captured pre-show on the red carpet at far right.

Photos from Associated Press