BET announced nominees for its awards show today (May 15, 2017) and while the usual suspects are among the nominees, its’ exciting to see some new entries, in particular Kehlani who was nominated for best r&b artist, as well as Cardi B and Young M.A., both of whom were nominated for best female hip hop artist and best new artist.
The best female hip hop artist looks especially interesting because the queen of the category, Nicki Minaj, took some hits this year and was widely viewed as coming out on the losing end of her musical beef with Remy Ma.
Keep in mind, Minaj has been the sole recipient of the award since 2010 though given recent events there’s a very good chance she could lose to a competitor this year. Remy took home the award in 2005, but other than Minaj, only Missy Elliott has won the award more than once.
Incredibly, Lil Kim has never taken home the award. BET Awards kicked off in 2001 and she was nominated that year, but lost to Eve. When she was nominated two years later in 2003, Missy Elliott was the victor and in 2010, she went up against Minaj and came out on the losing end again.
Ma recently appeared on “The Real” and said she had moved on from her beef with Minaj. “The dust has settled. Some people don’t get that the dust has settled, but I can understand it’s kind hard to see the dust settling when you’re in the grave, under the dirt,” said Remy, noting that she’s not as petty as she used to be, adding, “There’s a thin line between petty and pathetic. You have to stop at some point.”
Check out the exchange below.
Check out nominations for the musical categories below.
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Beyoncé
Kehlani
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna
Solange
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Bruno Mars
Chris Brown
The Weeknd
Trey Songz
Usher
Best Group
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
A Tribe Called Quest
Fat Joe & Remy Ma
Migos
Rae Sremmurd
Best Collaboration
Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar: “Freedom”
Chance the Rapper ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne: “No Problem”
Chris Brown ft. Gucci Mane & Usher: “Party”
DJ Khaled ft. Beyoncé & Jay Z: “Shining”
Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert: “Bad and Boujee”
Rae Sremmurd ft. Gucci Mane: “Black Beatles”
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
Big Sean
Chance the Rapper
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
Cardi B
Missy Elliott
Nicki Minaj
Remy Ma
Young M.A.
Video of the Year
Beyoncé: “Sorry”
Big Sean: “Bounce Back”
Bruno Mars: “24K Magic”
Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert: “Bad and Boujee”
Solange: “Cranes in the Sky”
Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom: Kehlani, “CRZY”
Bruno Mars & Jonathan Lia: Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like”
Director X: Zayn Malik, “Like I Would”
Hype Williams: Tyga “Gucci Snakes ft. Desiigner”
Kahlil Joseph & Beyoncé: Beyoncé, “Sorry”
Best New Artist
21 Savage
Cardi B
Chance the Rapper
Khalid
Young M.A.
Album of the Year
24K Magic: Bruno Mars
4 Your Eyez Only: J. Cole
A Seat at the Table: Solange
Coloring Book: Chance the Rapper
Lemonade: Beyoncé
