Kendrick Lamar Leads BET Awards Nominations, Doechii, Drake, Future, GloRilla Tie Behind Him
Lamar leads the pack with 10 nominations including Album of the Year for GNX, Video of the Year for 'Not Like Us,' Viewer's Choice Award nominations for 'Not Like Us,' 'Luther,' featuring SZA, and 'Like That' with Future & Metro Boomin, and Best Male Hip Hop Artist. Drake ties for the second most nominated artist this year, alongside a couple people in the beef's orbit.
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Drake earned six nominations, several of them rivaling Lamar, including Album of the Year for $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PartyNextDoor, Video of the Year for 'Family Matters,' Viewer's Choice Award for 'Nokia,' and Best Male Hip Hop Artist as well.
Future, who's 'Like That' ignited the war of words with its Lamar feature, earned also nominations, including Album of the Year for We Don't Trust You with Metro Boomin and Best Male Hip Hop Artist too. We Don't Trust You included other artists who banded together against Drake during the beef including the Weeknd and Rick Ross.
Meanwhile, Doechii, a new star on Lamar's former label Top Dawg, also earned six nominations after a breakout year. She's been nominated for Album of the Year for Alligator Bites Never Heal, Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice Award for 'Denial is a River,' BET Her for 'Bloom,' Best Collaboration for 'Alter Ego' featuring JT, and Best Female Hip Hop Artist. Lastly, tied for the second most nominations is GloRilla (who mostly existed out of the beef's orbit) with an Album of the Year nomination for Glorious, Best Collaboration for 'Sticky' with Tyler, the Creator, Sexyy Red and Lil Wayne, the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award for 'Rain Down on Me,' Best Female Hip Hop Artist and more.
Also leading the nominations are SZA and The Weeknd with four nominations each, while Arya Starr, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Maverick City Music, Playboi Carti, Teddy Swims, and Tyler, The Creator each earned three nominations.
The BET Awards will be held at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, 2025 and broadcast live 8 pm ET. The ceremony will mark 25 years of the BET Awards. The complete list of nominees are here.
Album Of The Year
$ome $exy $ongs 4 U — Drake & Partynextdoor
11:11 Deluxe — Chris Brown
Alligator Bites Never Heal — Doechii
Cowboy Carter — Beyoncé
Glorious — GloRilla
GNX — Kendrick Lamar
Hurry Up Tomorrow — The Weeknd
We Don't Trust You —Future & Metro Boomin
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Ari Lennox
Ayra Starr
Coco Jones
Kehlani
Muni Long
Summer Walker
Sza
Victoria Monét
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
Drake
Fridayy
Leon Thomas
Teddy Swims
The Weeknd
Usher
Best Group
41
Common & Pete Rock
Drake & Partynextdoor
Flo
Future & Metro Boomin
Jacquees & Dej Loaf
Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist
Maverick City Music
Best Collaboration
'30 For 30' — SZA Feat. Kendrick Lamar
'Alter Ego' — Doechii feat. JT
'Are You Even Real' — Teddy Swims feat. Givēon
'Beckham' — Dee Billz feat. Kyle Richh, Kai Swervo, Kj Swervo
'Bless' — Lil Wayne, Wheezy & Young Thug
'Like That' — Future & Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar
'Luther' — Kendrick Lamar & Sza
'Sticky' — Tyler, The Creator Feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne
Timeless — The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Cardi B
Doechii
Doja Cat
GloRilla
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Rapsody
Sexyy Red
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
Bigxthaplug
Bossman Dlow
Burna Boy
Drake
Future
Kendrick Lamar
Key Glock
Lil Wayne
Tyler, The Creator
Video Of The Year
'3am In Tokyo' — Key Glock
'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' — Shaboozey
'After Hours' — Kehlani
'Denial Is A River' — Doechii
'Family Matters' — Drake
'Not Like Us' — Kendrick Lamar
'Timeless' — The Weeknd Feat. Playboi Carti
'Type Shit' — Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott & Playboi Carti
Video Director Of The Year
Anderson .Paak
B Pace Productions & Jacquees
Benny Boom
Cactus Jack
Cole Bennett
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Dave Meyers
Foggieraw
Tyler, The Creator
Best New Artist
41
Ayra Starr
Bigxthaplug
Bossman Dlow
Dee Billz
Leon Thomas
October London
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
'A God (There Is)' — Common & Pete Rock feat. Jennifer Hudson
'Amen' — Pastor Mike Jr.
'Better Days' — Fridayy
'Church Doors' — Yolanda Adams Feat. Sir The Baptist & Donald Lawrence (Terry Hunter Remix)
'Constant' — Maverick City Music, Jordin Sparks, Chandler Moore & Anthony Gargiula
'Deserve To Win'— Tamela Mann
'Faith' — Rapsody
'Rain Down On Me' — GloRilla feat. Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music
Viewer's Choice Award
'Residuals' — Chris Brown
'Denial Is A River' — Doechii
'Nokia' — Drake
'Like That' — Future & Metro Boomin Feat. Kendrick Lamar
'TGIF' — GloRilla
'Not Like Us' — Kendrick Lamar
'Luther' — Kendrick Lamar & Sza
'Brokey' — Latto
Best International Act
Any Gabrielly (Brazil)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Bashy (United Kingdom)
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Ezra Collective (United Kingdom)
Joé Dwèt Filé (France)
Mc Luanna (Brazil)
Rema (Nigeria)
SDM (France)
Tyla (South Africa)
Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)
Best New International Act
Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
Ajuliacosta (Brazil)
Amabbi (Brazil)
Dlala Thukzin (South Africa)
Dr Yaro (France)
Kwn (United Kingdom)
Maglera Doe Boy (South Africa)
Merveille (France)
Odeal (United Kingdom)
Shallipopi (Nigeria)
TxC (South Africa)
Bet HER
Beautiful People — Mary J. Blige
Blackbiird — Beyoncé feat. Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy & Reyna Roberts
Bloom — Doechii
Burning — Tems
Defying Gravity — Cynthia Erivo Feat. Ariana Grande
Heart Of A Woman — Summer Walker
Hold On — Tems
In My Bag — Flo & GloRilla
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And if the most popular songs in the country aren't somewhat dour or mellow to a fault, they're holdovers from 2024 (or older). This year, it seems we left pop bombast in 2024. 'We're coming off a huge wave of amazing stuff,' said Mike Errico, a songwriter and instructor at New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. 'A lot of what 2025 has come out with — they're kind of down, kind of low energy. It's good, but it's not going to light up a room.' The state of the song of the summer is in crisis. There's still time to find a definitive song that unites both snobs and casual listeners — Sabrina Carpenter's new album arrives at the end of August, after all — but so far, the song of summer 2025 is one long sigh. Last summer, we met exciting new pop stars like Chappell Roan. Underdogs like Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter, who worked steadily for years as cult favorites, finally broke out. 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'Maybe we shot our bullets in 2024 all at once,' he said. 'Do we need a song of the summer to be brand spankin' new?' Errico pondered. 'Can it be something from, oh, 10 months ago?' Release dates haven't held back some of the year's most popular songs from continuing to soar. Four of the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 were released in 2024, including Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),' a scrappy, easily singable country song that's been charting for over a year, and 'Luther,' Kendrick Lamar's laid-back jam with SZA. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' 2024 dulcet duet 'Die with a Smile' has survived for nearly a year in the top 10 — meanwhile, the spiky, danceable cuts from Gaga's new album 'Mayhem' have disappeared. (There's also Teddy Swims' inexplicably popular 'Lose Control,' which is now over two years old.) 'I think it speaks to the power of 2024, that they're still on the charts in 2025,' Errico said. 'Maybe 2024 isn't over yet.' 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CNN
2 hours ago
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The song of the summer is a bummer
Music MediaFacebookTweetLink Follow The summer of 2025 is severely lacking in 'Espresso.' Gone are the sweaty days when 'Not Like Us' lit up parties nationwide, uniting Drake dissers everywhere. There are manchildren and daisies and animated anthems from 'KPop Demon Hunters,' but nothing that's made as big of a cultural dent as 'Birds of a Feather' or anything from 'Brat.' There is no song of the summer this year. And if there is, it's probably a bummer. The top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 are occupied largely by downers. At No. 1, Alex Warren's vaguely Christian ballad 'Ordinary' is best suited for a quiet study session, not a raucous party. Morgan Wallen, fresh from God's country, can't feign enthusiasm on his recent half-baked singles. Even pop prince Justin Bieber is keeping it low-key on his new album, which relies on sparse, downbeat guitars. (This, coming from one of the men behind 2017's song of the summer, 'Despacito.') And if the most popular songs in the country aren't somewhat dour or mellow to a fault, they're holdovers from 2024 (or older). This year, it seems we left pop bombast in 2024. 'We're coming off a huge wave of amazing stuff,' said Mike Errico, a songwriter and instructor at New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. 'A lot of what 2025 has come out with — they're kind of down, kind of low energy. It's good, but it's not going to light up a room.' The state of the song of the summer is in crisis. There's still time to find a definitive song that unites both snobs and casual listeners — Sabrina Carpenter's new album arrives at the end of August, after all — but so far, the song of summer 2025 is one long sigh. Last summer, we met exciting new pop stars like Chappell Roan. Underdogs like Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter, who worked steadily for years as cult favorites, finally broke out. And maybe you heard that two of the most famous women in the world — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé — released projects last year? '2024 was exceptional,' Errico said. 'I don't think you see that a lot — really humongous hits, with insanely long lives on the charts.' This year's popular new music has been decidedly downbeat, with ballads and ponderous country songs topping the charts, Errico said. Even Bieber's 'Daisies,' charting high in the weeks after its release, is relatively pared back for the one-time collaborator of fiery artists like Skrillex and Quavo. 'A lot of stuff was low energy,' Errico said of this year's new music. 'It's good for dim rooms, but I don't think that's associated with the 'song of the summer.'' Ideally, a song of the summer is 'bright, poppy, upbeat,' Errico said — a celebration in miniature that's easy to dance along to. It's a song that won't grate even when you hear it one million times over one summer. This year 'did not deliver that,' he said. 'Maybe we shot our bullets in 2024 all at once,' he said. 'Do we need a song of the summer to be brand spankin' new?' Errico pondered. 'Can it be something from, oh, 10 months ago?' Release dates haven't held back some of the year's most popular songs from continuing to soar. Four of the top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 were released in 2024, including Shaboozey's 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),' a scrappy, easily singable country song that's been charting for over a year, and 'Luther,' Kendrick Lamar's laid-back jam with SZA. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' 2024 dulcet duet 'Die with a Smile' has survived for nearly a year in the top 10 — meanwhile, the spiky, danceable cuts from Gaga's new album 'Mayhem' have disappeared. (There's also Teddy Swims' inexplicably popular 'Lose Control,' which is now over two years old.) 'I think it speaks to the power of 2024, that they're still on the charts in 2025,' Errico said. 'Maybe 2024 isn't over yet.' 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Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Kendrick Lamar Replaces Drake A At No. 1
It's likely that no matter how much time passes since the end of their public feud, Kendrick Lamar and Drake will always be compared to one another and seen as rivals. The rappers spent part of 2024 trading diss tracks in what turned out to be one of the most high-profile beefs in hip-hop history. Lamar came out on top, thanks largely to his tune "Not Like Us," which didn't just reach No. 1 on the Hot 100, it also earned the rapper both Record and Song of the Year at the Grammys. It's been well over a year since "Not Like Us" seemingly finished the war, but Lamar and Drake are still competing against one another directly on the Billboard charts. Kendrick Lamar Replaces Drake at No. 1 Lamar manages to replace Drake at No. 1 on several Billboard tallies in the United States this week, thanks to his recent collaboration with friend and tourmate SZA. "Luther" returns to the summit on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs rankings this frame. Last period, the collaboration sat in the runner-up spot on the two consumption-based lists, pushed down by Drake's "What Did I Miss?" The Canadian hip-hop superstar's single begins to decline this frame, making way for "Luther" — one of the most popular tunes in hip-hop of all time, according to the charts — to find its way to the summit once more. Drake's Songs Decline as "Luther" Surges On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally, "What Did I Miss?" drops from No. 1 to No. 3, landing just ahead of Drake's previous smash "Nokia." On the Hot Rap Songs chart, "What Did I Miss?" only steps back one space, while "Nokia" also holds at No. 4 on that ranking. "Luther" Extends Its Historic Reign "Luther" has now ruled both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs rankings for 29 weeks apiece. The tune long ago became the longest-running leader on both tallies, and with every frame it commands the tallies, it adds to its total and Lamar and SZA further their lead over every other hit in the history of those genres.
