BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the nominations for the 2016 “BET Awards,” taking place at Microsoft Theater on Sunday, June 26. This year’s broadcast marks 16 years of spectacular performances, must-see moments, outstanding talent, and exquisite music: from Alicia Keys performing during the Prince Lifetime Achievement Award tribute and Michael Jackson taking the stage with James Brown to Beyoncé catering to Terrence Howard and the reuniting of The Fugees, the “BET Awards” has set the standard for can’t miss specials.
Drake leads the list of entertainers with an impressive nine nominations including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ for his hit “Where Ya At” with fellow hip hop artist Future.Beyoncé and Rihanna follow with five nods each. Beyoncé is nominated for top nods of the night including ‘Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ for “Feeling Myself” with Nicki Minaj. Rihanna is in the running for awards including ‘Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Best Collaboration,’ for “Work” featuring Drake. Other nominees include newcomer Bryson Tiller who is up for four awards including ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist.’ Chris Brown is nominated for the same number including ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist’ and ‘Video Director of the Year.’ Future could also walk away with four awards including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist’ and the ‘Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award.’
For the first time ever, BET has enlisted renowned choreographer Will “WilldaBeast” Adams to create an exclusive, high energy video exclusively announcing three of the categories. Alongside his choreography partner Janelle Ginestra, a special compilation has been produced with clips of songs honoring artists nominated for ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ and ‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist.’ Dancers and friends from WilldaBeast’s ImmaBEAST dance company are featured in the video which can be viewed here. The video has over sixteen pieces of choreography including special appearances by some of the biggest names in dance including China Taylor, Taylor Hatala, and even a cameo from “Black-ish” star Miles Brown.
BET Networks recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across over 20 categories with the 2016 “BET Awards” nominations. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts.
“These nominees represent depth and diversity in achievement over the past year and we look forward to recognizing them next month,” said Stephen Hill, BET’s President of Programming. “This show will be innovative and special; in addition to celebrating the best in entertainment, we’ll also spend time throughout the show remembering Prince as only BET can. You can count on memorable performances and moments in honor of a true legend.”
The complete list of nominees for the 2016 “BET Awards” are:
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Best Female R&B/Pop Artist ADELE ANDRA DAY BEYONCÉ K. MICHELLE RIHANNA
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist BRYSON TILLER CHRIS BROWN JEREMIH THE WEEKND TYRESE
Best Group 2 CHAINZ & LIL WAYNE DRAKE & FUTURE PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY RAE SREMMURD THE INTERNET
Best Collaboration BIG SEAN FT. CHRIS BROWN & TY DOLLA $IGN – PLAY NO GAMES BIG SEAN FT. KANYE WEST & JOHN LEGEND – ONE MAN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD FUTURE FT. DRAKE – WHERE YA AT NICKI MINAJ FT. BEYONCÉ – FEELING MYSELF RIHANNA FT. DRAKE – WORK
Best Male Hip Hop Artist DRAKE FETTY WAP FUTURE J. COLE KANYE WEST KENDRICK LAMAR
Best Female Hip Hop Artist DEJ LOAF LIL KIM MISSY ELLIOTT NICKI MINAJ REMY MA
Video of the Year BEYONCÉ – FORMATION BRYSON TILLER – DON’T DRAKE – HOTLINE BLING KENDRICK LAMAR – ALRIGHT RIHANNA FT. DRAKE – WORK
Video Director of the Year BENNY BOOM CHRIS BROWN COLIN TILLEY & THE LITTLE HOMIES DIRECTOR X HYPE WILLIAMS
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Best New Artist ALESSIA CARA ANDRA DAY BRYSON TILLER KEHLANI TORY LANEZ
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY ERICA CAMPBELL KIRK FRANKLIN LECRAE TAMELA MANN TASHA COBBS
Best Actress GABRIELLE UNION KERRY WASHINGTON TARAJI P. HENSON TRACEE ELLIS ROSS VIOLA DAVIS
Best Actor ANTHONY ANDERSON COURTNEY B. VANCE IDRIS ELBA MICHAEL B. JORDAN O’SHEA JACKSON JR.
YoungStars Award AMANDLA STENBERG QUVENZHANÉ WALLIS SILENTÓ WILLOW SMITH YARA SHAHIDI
Best Movie BEASTS OF NO NATION CONCUSSION CREED DOPE STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Sportswoman of the Year CHEYENNE WOODS GABRIELLE DOUGLAS SERENA WILLIAMS SKYLAR DIGGINS VENUS WILLIAMS
Sportsman of the Year CAM NEWTON KOBE BRYANT LEBRON JAMES ODELL BECKHAM JR. STEPHEN CURRY
Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award BEYONCÉ – FORMATION BRYSON TILLER – DON’T CHRIS BROWN – BACK TO SLEEP DRAKE – HOTLINE BLING FUTURE FT. DRAKE – WHERE YA AT RIHANNA FT. DRAKE – WORK
Centric Award ANDRA DAY – RISE UP BEYONCÉ – FORMATION K. MICHELLE – NOT A LITTLE BIT RIHANNA – BBHMM THE INTERNET – UNDER CONTROL
Best International Act Africa AKA (SOUTH AFRICA) BLACK COFFEE (SOUTH AFRICA) CASSPER NYOVEST (SOUTH AFRICA) DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA) MZVEE (Ghana) SERGE BEYNAUD (COTE D’IVOIRE) WIZKID (NIGERIA) YEMI ALADE (NIGERIA)
Best International Act UK KANO KREPT & KONAN LIANNE LA HAVAS SKEPTA STORMZY TINIE TEMPAH |
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The 2016 “BET Awards” will premiere around the world on BET’s international network. It will air in the UK on Tuesday, June 28that 9:00pm BST, in Africa on Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00pm CAT, and in France on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00pm CEST.
Stephen G. Hill, BET’s President of Programming, Connie Orlando, BET’s Senior Vice President of Music and Specials, Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive Producers for the “BET Awards” along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.
The “BET Awards” will take place along with the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles from June 23-26, 2016. BET.com is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year’s show. VIP Packages for the BET Experience weekend are now on-sale. In addition to VIP amenities throughout the weekend and incredible seats for the STAPLES Center shows, three levels of BETX VIP Packages offer guests the only opportunity to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated BET Awards, broadcast live from Microsoft Theater. The 1,000+ VIP Packages sold out in 2015, so guests are encouraged to purchase now before the allotment is depleted. Full package amenities and pricing for the Diamond, Platinum and Gold VIP Packages can be found by visiting BETExperience.com or by calling (877) 234-8425.
General tickets for the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE presented by Coca-Cola® are now on sale. Single day STAPLES Center show tickets are priced as low as $49.50, while 3-day STAPLES Center concert ticket packages start at $148.50. Tickets will be available at http://www.axs.com/betexperience.
Follow BET Experience on Twitter @betexperience for the latest and greatest and join the conversation by using #BETX. Feel free to also check us out online at http://www.betexperience.com.
