African musicians who have been nominated for this year’s BET Awards include Burna Boy, Tems, Ayra Starr, Asake, and Seyi Vibez from Nigeria, and Tyla, Tyler ICU, Focalistic, and Makhadzi from South Africa.
It is worth noting however that South African superstar Tyla leads the nominations for the upcoming annual event.
Being referred to as “culture’s biggest night,” the BET Awards have become a premier event for honoring black excellence in sports, television, music, and movies.
Over the years, African performers have made a strong case for themselves at the BET Awards, taking home victories in crucial categories like Best International Act and Best New Artiste.
The BET Voting Academy, which consists of influential figures in entertainment, and experts in the fields of music, media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts, chose this year’s nominees.
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Tyla, the South African singer who won a Grammy in February, is the front-runner among African artistes as she secured four nominations: Best Female R&B/Pop Artiste, Best New Artiste, Viewer’s Choice Award, and Best International Act.
Ayra Starr, who came in second, is up for three awards in the BET HER, Best International Act, and Best New Artist categories.
Makhadzi, Focalistic, Tyler ICU, Asake, and Seyi Vibez received one nomination each.
Both 2023 Award winners, Burna Boy, and Tems, were nominated twice.
Burna Boy was nominated for Best Male Hip Hop and Best Male R&B/Pop Artiste, while Tems got picked for Video Director of the Year and Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award categories.
The live broadcast of the Awards show will take place on the BET channel on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The Viewer’s Choice Awards are anticipated to open for voting on June 6 and close at 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET on June 30.
Check out the full list of nominees below:
Best international act
- Asake (Nigeria)
- Tyla (South Africa)
- Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
- Focalistic (South Africa)
- Aya Nakamura (France)
- BK’ (Brazil)
- Cleo Sol (UK)
- Karol Conká (Brazil)
- Raye (UK)
- Tiakola (France)
Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act
- Tyler ICU (South Africa)
- Seyi Vibez (Nigeria)
- Bellah (UK)
- Cristale (UK)
- Duquesa (Brazil)
- Holly G. (France)
- Jungeli (France)
- Makhadzi (South Africa)
- Oruam (Brazil)
BET HER
- ‘Commas’ by Ayra Starr
- ‘16 Carriages’ by Beyoncé
- ‘Blessings’ by Nicki Minaj ft. Tasha Cobbs Leonard
- ‘Fly Girl’ by Flo ft. Missy Elliott
- ‘Hiss’ by Megan Thee Stallion
- ‘On My Mama’ by Victoria Monét
- ‘Saturn’ by Sza
- ‘Yeah Glo!’ by GloRilla
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
- Tyla
- Beyoncé
- Coco Jones
- Doja Cat
- H.E.R.
- Muni Long
- Sza
- Victoria Monét
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
- Burna Boy
- Brent Faiyaz
- Bryson Tiller
- Chris Brown
- Drake
- Fridayy
- October London
- Usher
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
- Burna Boy
- 21 Savage
- Drake
- Future
- Gunna
- J. Cole
- Kendrick Lamar
- Lil Wayne
Best Group
- ¥$, Ye, Ty Dolla $Ign
- 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne
- 41
- Blxst & Bino Rideaux
- City Girls
- Flo
- Maverick City Music
- Wanmor
Best Collaboration
- ‘All My Life’ by Lil Durk ft. J. Cole
- ‘America Has a Problem (Remix)’ by Beyoncé ft. Kendrick Lamar
- ‘Barbie World’ by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice (with Aqua)
- ‘Bongos’ by Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion
- ‘Carnival’ by ¥$, Ye, Ty Dolla Ign ft. Rich The Kid, Playboi Carti
- ‘Don’t Play With It (Remix)’ by Lola Brooke ft. Latto & Yung Miami
- ‘Everybody’ by Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Uzi Vert
- ‘Good Good’ by Usher, Summer Walker, and 21 Savage
- ‘Rich Baby Daddy’ by Drake ft. Sexyy Red & Sza
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
- Cardi B
- Doja Cat
- GloRilla
- Ice Spice
- Latto
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Nicki Minaj
- Sexyy Red
Video of the Year
- ‘Agora Hills’ by Doja Cat
- ‘All My Life’ by Lil Durk ft. J. Cole
- ‘Barbie World’ by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice (with Aqua)
- ‘Bongos’ by Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion
- ‘First Person Shooter’ by Drake ft. J. Cole
- ‘Good Good’ by Usher, Summer Walker, and 21 Savage
- ‘On My Mama’ by Victoria Monét
- ‘Rich Baby Daddy’ by Drake ft. Sexyy Red & Sza
Video Director of the Year
- Benny Boom
- Child.
- Cole Bennett
- Dave Meyers
- Janelle Monáe and Alan Ferguson
- Offset
- Tems
- Tyler, The Creator
Best New Artist
- 41
- 4batz
- Ayra Starr
- Bossman Dlow
- Fridayy
- October London
- Sexyy Red
- Tyla
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
- ‘All of the Glory’ by Shirley Caesar
- ‘All Things’ by Kirk Franklin
- ‘Angel’ by Halle Bailey
- ‘Come, Jesus, come’ by Cece Winans
- ‘Do You Believe in Love?’ by Erica Campbell
- ‘God Problems’ by Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine, and Chandler Moore
- ‘Me & U’ by Tems
- ‘Try Love’ by Kirk Franklin
Viewer’s Choice Award
- ‘Agora Hills’ by Doja Cat
- ‘All My Life’ by Lil Durk ft. J. Cole
- ‘Gunna’ by Fukumean
- ‘Lovin On Me’ by Jack Harlow
- ‘Made for Me’ by Muni Long
- ‘On My Mama’ by Victoria Monét
- ‘Rich Baby Daddy’ by Drake ft. Sexyy Red & Sza
- ‘Sensational’ by Chris Brown ft. Davido & Lojay
- ‘Texas Hold ’Em’ by Beyoncé
- ‘Water’ by Tyla
Best Movie
- American Fiction
- Bob Marley: One Love
- Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
- The Book of Clarence
- The color purple
- The Equalizer 3
- The Little Mermaid
Best Actor
- Anthony Mackie
- Colman Domingo
- Damson Idris
- Denzel Washington
- Donald Glover
- Idris Elba
- Jeffrey Wright
- Lakeith Stanfield
Best Actress
- Angela Bassett
- Ayo Edebiri
- Coco Jones
- Danielle Brooks
- Fantasia
- Halle Bailey
- Issa Rae
- Regina King
Youngstars Award
- Akira Akbar
- Blue Ivy Carter
- Demi Singleton
- Heiress Diana Harris
- Jabria Mccullum
- Jalyn Hall
- Leah Jeffries
- Van Van
Sportswoman of the Year
- A’ja Wilson
- Angel Reese
- Coco Gauff
- Flau’jae Johnson
- Juju Watkins
- Naomi Osaka
- Sha’carri Richardson
- Simone Biles
Sportswoman of the Year
- Anthony Edwards
- Gervonta Davis
- Jalen Brunson
- Jalen Hurts
- Kyrie Irving
- Lebron James
- Patrick Mahomes
- Stephen Curry
