Next month, a grouping of hip hop's finest will congregate in Los Angeles for the annual BET Awards. the network has demonstrated that the ceremony is by far their sticking point, as is the Freshman Class for XXL. Leading the charge with a total of 6 nominees will be DJ Khaled, followed by Kendrick Lamar with five and Migos & SZA with four each.
Khaled's haul comes as a bit of a surprise considering the year that was. Voters appreciated "Wild Thoughts" and the curation of his album Grateful. Kendrick Lamar is up against himself in the "Album of the Year" category for his work on Black Panther and Damn. A few of the albums up for silverware were dropped in 2018, such as Culture II where as the vast majority were selected from the year that passed. Dej Loaf for one, is nominated for "Best Female Hip Hop Artist" after a relatively dormant year on the scene. There is no rhyme, nor reason, come award season.
The 2018 BET Awards will air on June 24th at the Microsoft Theater. Stay tuned for announcements regarding the night's festivities and the expected list of performers. The nominees are listed below:
Best Female R&B / Pop Artist Award
Beyoncé
SZA
H.E.R.
Rihanna
Kehlani
Best Male R&B / Pop Artist Award
Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
The Weeknd
Khalid
Daniel Caesar
Best Group Award
Migos
A Tribe Called Quest
N*E*R*D
Rae Sremmurd
Chloe x Halle
Best Collaboration Award
Bruno Mars f/ Cardi B - "Finesse (Remix)"
DJ Khaled f/ Rihanna and Bryson Tiller - "Wild Thoughts"
DJ Khaled f/ Jay Z, Future & Beyoncé - "Top Off"
Cardi B f/ 21 Savage - "Bartier Cardi"
French Montana f/ Swae Lee - "Unforgettable"
Kendrick Lamar f/ Rihanna - "Loyalty"
Best Male Hip Hop Artist Award
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
DJ Khaled
Jay Z
J. Cole
Best Female Hip Hop Artist Award
Cardi B
Nicki Minaj
Remy Ma
Dej Loaf
Rapsody
Video of the Year Award
Drake - "God's Plan"
Cardi B - "Bodak Yellow"
Bruno Mars f/ Cardi B - "Finesse (Remix)"
DJ Khaled f/ Rihanna and Bryson Tiller - "Wild Thoughts"
Kendrick Lamar - "Humble"
Migos f/ Drake - "Walk It Talk It"
Video Director of the Year Award
Benny Boom
Director X
Ava DuVernay
Chris Brown
Dave Meyers
Best New Artist Award
SZA
H.E.R.
Daniel Caesar
GoldLink
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
Lecrae f/ Tory Kelly - "I'll Find You"
Snoop Dogg f/ B Slade - "Words Are Few"
Ledisi and Kirk Franklin - "If You Don't Mind"
Marvin Sapp - "Close"
Tasha Cobbs Leonard f/ Nicki Minaj - "I'm Getting Ready"
The Best International Act Award
Booba (FRANCE)
Cassper Nyovest (SA)
Dadju (FRANCE)
Davido (NIGERIA)
Distruction Boyz (SA)
Fally Ipupa (DR CONGO)
J Hus (UK) NISKA (FRANCE)
Tiwa Savage (NIGERIA)
Stefflon Don (UK)
Stormzy (UK)
Best Actress Award
Tiffany Haddish
Lupita Nyong'o
Issa Rae
Angela Bassett
Letitia Wright
Taraji P. Henson
Best Actor Award
Chadwick Boseman
Michael B. Jordan
Donald Glover
Sterling K. Brown
Denzel Washington
Daniel Kaluuya
Young Stars Award
Yara Shahidi
Ashton Tyler
Caleb McLaughlin
Lonnie Chavis
Marsai Martin
Miles Brown
Best Movie Award
Black Panther
Girls Trip
A Wrinkle in Time
Detroit
Mudbound
Sportswoman of the Year Award
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Skylar Diggins-Smith
Candace Parker
Elana Meyers Taylor
Sportsman of the Year Award
Stephen Curry
LeBron James
Kevin Durant
Dwyane Wade
Odell Beckham Jr.
Album of the Year Award
Kendrick Lamar - Damn
SZA - Ctrl
Jay Z - 4:44
Migos - Culture II
Kendrick Lamar and Various Artists - Black Panther: The Album
DJ Khaled - Grateful
BET Her Award
Janelle Monáe - "Django Jane"
Lizzo - "Water Me"
Mary J. Blige - "Strength of a Woman"
Remy Ma f/ Chris Brown - "Melanin Magic (Pretty Brown)"
Chloe x Halle - "The Kids Are Alright"
Leikeli47 - "2nd Fiddle"
Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award
SZA f/ Travis Scott - "Love Galore"
Cardi B - "Bodak Yellow"
Kendrick Lamar - "Humble"
Drake - "God's Plan"
Migos f/ Nicki Minaj and Cardi B - "MotorSport"
DJ Khaled f/ Rihanna and Bryson Tiller - "Wild Thoughts"
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