Ariana DeBose

"It was fabulous," the Oscar winner said of her rap during last Sunday's BAFTAs, which garnered criticism on social media.

"Baz Luhrmann came and found me and he was like, 'No, I think you're great, that was fun. I had fun.' And I was like, 'Work!'"

Lizzo's reference to DeBose comes after the West Side Story actress honored all of the female nominees at the awards show with a rap that instantly went viral ...

“When they called my name, I was in total shock because I didn’t expect to win at all,” she said, adding that she had an “entire flask” of alcohol with Adele. Let’s just evolve, let’s just move forward with some gentle changes that start to lay out the stall of what this show should be and where we should be with it,” producer Nick Bullen told During the Special singer’s show Thursday night in Amsterdam, Lizzo made a playful reference to [Ariana DeBose](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/ariana-debose/)’s now-viral (and super cringey) rap at the BAFTAs earlier this week.

"Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis, my Woman King," has not left our heads since the weekend.

“But that was the assignment, like come celebrate women, and I was like ‘absolutely!’. And we did that and it was fun, not going to lie, I had a blast. [Zoe Ball](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/../../../news/zoe-ball/) asked Ariana about as part of a pre-recorded interview on the Radio 2 breakfast show, which will be broadcast on Monday. [Per the Daily Mail](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-11786149/Ariana-DeBose-defends-awkward-BAFTAs-performance.html), Zoe told her guest: “Can I just say, our listeners, we all loved your performance. “You know what? “We wanted to open the show with some energy, some fun, and also lay out straight away that this was hopefully going to feel like a different night, but with a familiarity as well, and what Ariana did was exactly that,” he continued. [defended by ](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ariana-debose-performance-defended-baftas-organisers_uk_63f48450e4b0c87f32f314ab) [Baftas producer Nick Bullen](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ariana-debose-performance-defended-baftas-organisers_uk_63f48450e4b0c87f32f314ab), who said he found the reaction “incredibly unfair, to be frank”. They actually called me – believe it or not. “But I’ll take it… let me in!’. You might be one of the few,” Ariana joked. [Ariana DeBose](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/../../../news/ariana-debose/) has finally spoken out about her [Baftas](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/../../../news/baftas/) performance that [got everyone talking](https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ariana-debose-baftas-performance-reaction-angela-bassett-did-the-thing_uk_63f37c22e4b04ff5b48511ae) over the weekend.

"About Damn Time" singer Lizzo recreated actress Ariana DeBose's viral rap from the 2023 BAFTAs during her concert in Amsterdam on Thursday.

“That rap section in the middle, mentioning the women in the room, was because it’s been a great year for women in film, and we wanted to celebrate that.” However, she did like and commented on an Instagram post that assembled several of the top memes of her song, gushing, “Honestly I love this.” [shared by the @BossBabeCorner account](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2dLZqsV88/).

The singer recited Ariana DeBose's now-iconic rap at a recent stop on her tour.

She also commented on writer Evan Ross Katz’s [Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5qRugucGa/) in the days following, a compilation of memes about the performance. [deactivate her Twitter account](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniesoteriou/ariana-debose-loving-bafta-rap-response) shortly after her performance. “We are giggling at everyone who has our campy little number stuck in their heads,” Rauhala wrote in the video. While “Angela Bassett did the thing” was the standout lyric, it wasn’t the only one to garner attention. Justice for “Viola Davis, my Woman King!” and “Blanchett, Cate, you’re a genius.” “I think it’s incredibly unfair, to be frank.

Lizzo made a playful reference to Ariana DeBose's viral rap at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards, during a concert in Amsterdam last night.

In a post which refers to the line “Angela Bassett did the thing”, DeBose commented: “Honestly I love this.” With a laughing emoji, she shared the post and wrote: “Get tickets & find out.” After the performance was widely mocked online, DeBose deactivated her Twitter account and [BAFTAs awards producer Nick Bullen](https://www.nme.com/news/film/ariana-debose-rap-criticism-incredibly-unfair-says-bafta-producer-everyone-in-the-room-loved-it-3402632) described the criticism as “incredibly unfair.” “Angela Bassett did the thang, Yeah!” You can view footage below. Angela Bassett did the thing, shake it off!” before copying DeBose’s shoulder shimmy at a concert at the Ziggo Dome. [Lizzo](https://www.nme.com/artists/lizzo) made a playful reference to Ariana DeBose’s viral rap at the 2023 [BAFTA](https://www.nme.com/tag/bafta) Film Awards, during a concert in Amsterdam last night (February 23).

Lizzo recreated Ariana DeBose's "Angela Bassett did the thing" viral rap from the BAFTAs during a concert. Watch.

[Bullen told Variety](https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/bafta-producer-defends-ariana-debose-awards-show-rap-backlash-1235256928/) after the show. [Lizzo](https://www.billboard.com/artist/lizzo/) did the thing. “Angela Bassett did the thing/ Viola Davis my ‘Woman King’/ Blanchett Cate you’re a genius/ Jamie Lee you are all of us,” DeBose sang in a clip from the show that quickly set Twitter ablaze, as many of the actresses she mentioned stared blankly.

DeBose was a little breathless in places and the rap bemused many viewers at home with a few clunky lines (“Angela Bassett did the thing, Viola Davis, my woman ...

As the week has progressed, the routine has evolved to be seen as a camp classic. It included an original rap penned by her and her team honoring the many female nominees of the night. DeBose has even indicated she can see the funny side.