This year’s BET Awards are back with a vengeance. They have announced the whole list of 2023 nominees, which includes some unexpected shocks.
The legendary BET Awards will return in October for their 2023 edition. The award is commemorating 50 years of recognizing and honoring the top talents in the music business.
The most nominations have gone to Cardi B, 21 Savage, Drake, and Burna Boy. Cardi B and 21 Savage each have 12 nominations. Burna Boy and DJ Khaled each have seven nominations, while Drake has nine.

Aside from Burna Boy, several African musicians were nominated for the honors. African musicians nominated for the BET Awards include AKA, K.O, and Sampa The Great.

This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards will be the finale of our yearlong celebration of hip-hop’s illustrious origin and the art form’s aural and cultural development, according to Connie Orlando, BET’s EVP specials, music programming, and music strategy. We are honored by the group of candidates this year because they will keep hip-hop’s variety and inventiveness alive in the years to come. We applaud each candidate for their achievements as they raise the bar for hip-hop talent.

On Tuesday, September 12, at 12:00 ET, fans may begin voting for DJ of the year, producer of the year, and best hip-hop platform on the BET website, where further information about the awards is also available.

The following are the nominations for the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards:

Hip-hop artist of the year

• 21 Savage
• Burna Boy
• Cardi B
• Drake
• Glorilla
• J. Cole
• Kendrick Lamar
• Lil Uzi Vert

Song of the year

• “All My Life,” Lil Durk feat. J. Cole
• “God Did,” DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z , John Legend & Fridayy
• “Just Wanna Rock,” Lil Uzi Vert
• “Players,” Coi Leray
• “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Latto feat. Cardi B
• “Rich Flex,” Drake & 21 Savage
• “Sittin’ On Top Of The World,” Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage
• “Tomorrow 2,” GloRilla & Cardi B

Hip hop album of the year

• Anyways, Life’s Great…, Glorilla
• Coi, Coi Leray
• God Did, DJ Khaled
• Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
• Heroes & Villains, Metro Boomin
• Jackman, Jack Harlow
• Pink Tape, Lil Uzi Vert
• Traumazine, Megan Thee Stallion

Best hip-hop video

• “Just Wanna Rock,” Lil Uzi Vert
• “Players” (DJ Smallz 732 – Jersey Club Remix), Coi Leray
• “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Latto feat. Cardi B
• “Shake Sumn,” DaBaby
• “Sittin’ On Top Of The World ,” Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage
• “Spin Bout U,” Drake & 21 Savage
• “Tomorrow 2,” Glorilla & Cardi B

Best collaboration

• “All My Life,” Lil Durk feat. J. Cole
• “God Did,” DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
• “Players” (DJ Saige Remix), Coi Leray feat. Busta Rhymes
• “Princess Diana,” Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj
• “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Latto feat. Cardi B
• “Sittin’ On Top Of The World,” Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage
• “Tomorrow 2,” Glorilla & Cardi B

Impact track

• “30,” Nas
• “All My Life,” Lil Durk Feat. J. Cole
• “Anxiety,” Megan Thee Stallion
• “Can’t Win for Nothing,” Symba
• “Champions,” NLE Choppa
• “God Did,” DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
• “Scientists & Engineers,” Killer Mike & André 3000 feat. Future & Eryn Allen Kane
• “Therapy Pt. 2,” Robert Glasper feat. Mac Miller

Best duo or group

• City Girls
• DJ Drama & Jeezy
• Drake & 21 Savage
• Earthgang
• Larry June & The Alchemist
• Quavo & Takeoff
• Rae Sremmurd

Best live performer

• Burna Boy
• Busta Rhymes
• Cardi B
• Coi Leray
• Dababy
• Drake
• Kendrick Lamar
• Megan Thee Stallion

Best breakthrough hip-hop artist

• Armani White
• Central Cee
• Doechii
• Finesse2tymes
• Ice Spice
• Kaliii
• Lola Brooke
• Sexyy Redd

Lyricist of the year

• 21 Savage
• André 3000
• Burna Boy
• Cardi B
• Conway The Machine
• Drake
• J. Cole
• Kendrick Lamar

Producer of the year

• Atl Jacob
• DJ Khaled
• Dr. Dre
• Hit-Boy
• Hitmaka
• Kaytranada
• London On Da Track
• Metro Boomin
• The Alchemist

Video director of the year

• Anderson .Paak
• Cole Bennett
• Colin Tilley
• DaBaby & Reel Goats
• Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
• Dave Meyers
• Travis Scott

DJ of the year

• Chase B
• D-Nice
• DJ Cassidy
• DJ Clark Kent
• DJ Drama
• DJ Jazzy Jeff
• DJ Khaled
• Kaytranada
• Metro Boomin

Best hip-hop platform

• AllHipHop
• Caresha Please
• Drink Champs
• Hiphop Dx
• Million Dollaz Worth Of Game
• Rap Caviar
• The Breakfast Club
• The Joe Budden Podcast
• XXL

Hustler of the year

• 21 Savage
• 50 Cent
• Burna Boy
• Cardi B
• Caresha
• DJ Khaled
• Drake
• Jay-Z

Sweet 16: best featured verse

• 21 Savage, “Creepin’” (Metro Boomin feat. The Weeknd & 21 Savage)
• 21 Savage, “Peaches & Eggplants” (Young Nudy feat. 21 Savage)
• André 3000, “Scientists &  Engineers” (Killer Mike & André 3000 feat. Future & Eryn Allen Kane)
• Cardi B, “Tomorrow 2” (Glorilla & Cardi B)
• Cardi B, “Put It On Da Floor Again” (Latto feat. Cardi B)
• Drake, “Oh U Went” (Young Thug feat. Drake)
• J. Cole, “All My Life” (Lil Durk feat. J. Cole)
• Jay-Z, “God Did” (DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z , John Legend & Fridayy)

Best international flow

• Aka (South Africa)
• Black Sherif (Ghana)
• Central Cee (UK)
• Gazo (France)
• J Hus (UK)
• K.O (South Africa)
• Major Rd (Brazil)
• Ninho (France)
• Sampa The Great (Zambia)
• Tasha & Tracie (Brazil)