Ray J Shirtless, Pissed Off at BET Awards, Claims Security Locked Him Out

Ray J really was going through it at the BET Awards, and now we have the video to back it up -- it's a full meltdown, with him threatening to make things "ghetto" after security allegedly denied him re-entry to the show.

The footage, obtained by TMZ, shows Ray pacing around Sunday night outside the award show at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles ... and he's getting more and more animated.

Ray appears to be arguing with some security guards and he's overheard complaining about not being let inside the show ... and things escalate to the point where he rips off his shirt and declares, "I didn't bring the ghetto to BET yet, but I'm about to!!!"

In parts of the video Ray is holding a beverage, and at other times he appears to be smoking something ... all while he's visibly upset.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Ray was hired by BET to host 3 events throughout the weekend, including a backstage access show Sunday night ... which is when this video was shot.

While Ray was filming backstage for BET Digital, he kept going back and forth between inside and outside during his breaks ... without wearing his credentials.

Our sources say Ray went out about 15 times, including some trips with BET executives, entering and exiting through a door right next to the stage.

But, we're told about 30 minutes before the award show was ending, the same security guard posted at the door finally took issue with Ray not wearing his credentials, and told him he'd been doing it all night and wasn't going to be allowed in this time.

The timeline suggests this is when Ray was spotted outside the show getting animated in the parking lot. Our sources say Ray thinks there's a racial element to this ... claiming the security guard who allegedly wouldn't let him back in was white.

Watch for the end of the video, though -- there's one funny moment as shirtless Ray makes a comment about his, umm ... physique.

As we reported, later in the evening, Ray nearly got into a street brawl at a BET Awards afterparty ... and then poured out his emotions in an alarming social media post referencing the dispute and saying he was suicidal.