Kendrick Lamar Beats Drake For Album Of The Year At The BET Awards

BY Alexander Cole 1.9K Views
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Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Recording artist Kendrick Lamar performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Kendrick Lamar remains one of the best artists in the world, so it should come as no surprise that he would win big at the BET Awards.

Kendrick Lamar and Drake were both nominated for Album of the Year at the BET Awards. Of course, Drake was nominated for $OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U, his collaborative album with none other than PartyNextDoor. Meanwhile Kendrick was nominated for GNX.

Overall, it was clear that GNX was going to come out victorious. At the end of the day, it was one of the best albums of 2024. Furthermore, the album has had huge staying power. So much so that it is the frontrunner to win a Grammy in 2026.

Perhaps the coolest part of Kendrick winning this award is the fact that he showed up for it. The artist hasn't been to the BET Awards in some time, but he showed out for the occasion. Below, you can watch his speech, in which he thanked BET for always doing right by the culture.

Kendrick Lamar BET Awards Speech

Furthermore, Kendrick's speech consisted of a not-so-shameless plug about his Grand National Tour with SZA. Of course, this is one of the biggest tours in the history of hip-hop. During the speech, the artist asked fans to come and support himself and SZA.

SZA was also in attendance at the awards show, which was beautiful to see. Numerous artists showed up for the event this year, and that is really amazing to see. It puts a great spotlight on the event, and with this being the show's 25th anniversary, it's clear that this was particularly special.

We are about three hours into the event, and only a few awards have been given out. It remains to be seen how this will be figured out as the night goes on. Regardless, we will continue to watch along with the event and bring you the biggest updates.

About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!