Rap sensation Doja Cat emerged Wednesday as the top nominee at this year’s BET Awards. The “Woman” hitmaker is nominated in six categories, including album of the year for her third studio record, “Planet Her.”
Rounding out Doja Cat’s nominations are female R&B/pop artist, female hip-hop artist, BET Her (“Woman”), best collaboration (“Kiss Me More,” featuring SZA) and video of the year (“Kiss Me More”). Trailing Doja Cat with four nominations apiece are rapper Drake and R&B singer Ari Lennox, BET announced Wednesday.
Drake is nominated for male hip-hop artist, collaboration (“Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug), video of the year (“Way 2 Sexy”) and album of the year (“Certified Lover Boy”), while Lennox is up for female R&B/pop artist, video of the year (“Pressure”) and BET Her (“Pressure” and “Unloyal”).
Other artists who received multiple nominations on Wednesday include Baby Keem, Chlöe, Future, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Mary J. Blige, Tems and Silk Sonic’s Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. (One notable snub was Lil Nas X, who scored no BET nominations for the second consecutive year; he was up for best new artist in 2020. His wildly popular debut album, “Montero,” was nominated for five Grammy Awards this year.)
BET also has recognized a number of athletes and actors whose work has the power to effect change while showcasing the “best, brightest, and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience.”
Among the film and TV nominees are Zendaya (“Euphoria,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Jennifer Hudson (“Respect”), Queen Latifah (“The Equalizer”), Regina King (“The Harder They Fall”) and Will Smith (“King Richard”).
The 2022 BET Awards, hosted by actor Taraji P. Henson, will be broadcast on BET on June 26 at 8 p.m. Pacific from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Here’s the full list of nominees.
Female R&B/pop artist
- Ari Lennox
- Chlöe
- Doja Cat
- H.E.R.
- Jazmine Sullivan
- Mary J. Blige
- Summer Walker
Male R&B/pop artist
- Blxst
- Chris Brown
- Giveon
- Lucky Daye
- The Weeknd
- Wizkid
- Yung Bleu
Group
- Silk Sonic
- Chlöe x Halle
- City Girls
- Lil Baby & Lil Durk
- Migos
- Young Dolph & Key Glock
Best collaboration
- “Essence” by Wizkid featuring Justin Bieber and Tems
- “Every Chance I Get” by DJ Khaled featuring Lil Baby and Lil Durk
- “Family Ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
- “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat featuring SZA
- “Way 2 Sexy” by Drake featuring Future and Young Thug
- “Whole Lotta Money (Remix)” by Bia featuring Nicki Minaj
BET Award nominations for Silk Sonic — featuring Anderson .Paak, left, and Bruno Mars — include best group and album of the year.
(John Esparza)
Female hip-hop artist
- Cardi B
- Doja Cat
- Latto
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Nicki Minaj
- Saweetie
Male hip-hop artist
- Drake
- Future
- J. Cole
- Jack Harlow
- Kanye West
- Kendrick Lamar
- Lil Baby
Video of the year
- “Family Ties” by Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
- “Have Mercy” by Chlöe
- “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat featuring SZA
- “Pressure” by Ari Lennox
- “Smokin Out the Window” by Silk Sonic
- “Way 2 Sexy” by Drake featuring Future and Young Thug
Video director of the year
- Anderson .Paak
- Benny Bloom
- Beyoncé and Dikayl Rimmasch
- Director X
- Hype Williams
- Missy Elliott
Best new artist
- Baby Keem
- Benny the Butcher
- Latto
- Muni Long
- Tems
- Yung Bleu
Album of the year
- “An Evening With Silk Sonic” by Silk Sonic
- “Back of My Mind” by H.E.R.
- “Call Me If You Get Lost” by Tyler, the Creator
- “Certified Lover Boy” by Drake
- “Donda” by Kanye West
- “Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe” by Jazmine Sullivan
- “Planet Her” by Doja Cat
Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel/Inspirational Award
- “All in Your Hands” by Marvin Sapp
- “Come to Life” by Kanye West
- “Grace” by Kelly Price
- “Hallelujah” by Fred Hammond
- “Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)” by H.E.R. and Tauren Wells
- “Jireh” by Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music
- “We Win” by Lil Baby and Kirk Franklin
BET Her
- “Best of Me (Originals)” by Alicia Keys
- “Good Morning Gorgeous” by Mary J. Blige
- “Have Mercy” by Chlöe
- “Pressure” by Ari Lennox
- “Roster” by Jazmine Sullivan
- “Unloyal” by Summer Walker and Ari Lennox
- “Woman” by Doja Cat
International act
- Dave (United Kingdom)
- Dinos (France)
- Fally Ipupa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Fireboy DML (Nigeria)
- Little Simz (U.K.)
- Ludmilla (Brazil)
- Major League DJZ (South Africa)
- Tayc (France)
- Tems (Nigeria)
Best movie
- “Candyman”
- “King Richard”
- “Respect”
- “Space Jam: A New Legacy”
- “Summer of Soul”
- “The Harder They Fall”
Best actor
- Adrian Holmes (“Bel-Air”)
- Anthony Anderson (“black-ish”)
- Damson Idris (“Snowfall”)
- Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)
- Forest Whitaker (“Respect,” “Godfather of Harlem”)
- Jabari Banks (“Bel-Air”)
- Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)
- Will Smith (“King Richard”)
Best actress
- Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”)
- Coco Jones (“Bel-Air”)
- Issa Rae (“Insecure”)
- Jennifer Hudson (“Respect”)
- Mary J. Blige (“Power Book II: Ghost”)
- Queen Latifah (“The Equalizer”)
- Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)
- Regina King (“The Harder They Fall”)
- Zendaya (“Euphoria,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home”)
Young Stars Award
- Akira Akbar
- Demi Singleton
- Marsai Martin
- Miles Brown
- Saniyya Sidney
- Storm Reid
Sportswoman of the year
- Brittney Griner
- Candace Parker
- Naomi Osaka
- Serena Williams
- Sha’Carri Richardson
- Simone Biles
Sportsman of the year
- Aaron Donald
- Bubba Wallace
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Ja Morant
- LeBron James
- Stephen Curry