Burna Boy, Black Sherif, K.O & More Nominated in 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards Nomination Lineup

The 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards, set to take place on October 3rd in Atlanta, U.S., have unveiled their nominations, featuring a roster of African talents alongside international stars. Nigeria’s Burna Boy, Ghana’s Black Sherif, Zambia’s Sampa the Great, as well as South Africa’s K.O, and the late AKA are among the notable nominees.

Established in 2006, the BET Hip Hop Awards celebrate excellence in the hip-hop industry, recognizing outstanding performers, producers, and music video directors.

Burna Boy leads the African continent with a staggering seven nominations, positioning him as Africa’s top contender and the third-most nominated artist at the awards. His nominations span various categories, including Hip Hop Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Hip Hop Video, Best Collaboration, Best Live Performer, Lyricist of the Year, and Hustler of the Year.

Black Sherif, who earned a nomination in the Best International Flow category last year, is once again nominated in the same category. He shares this nomination with the late South African rapper AKA and another prominent South African hip hop artist, K.O, among other international acts.

In the previous year, Nigerian singer Tems secured the sole victory for Africa, winning the Best Collaboration Award for her feature on Future’s “Wait For U” alongside Drake.

In terms of overall nominations this year, 21 Savage and Cardi B lead the pack with 12 nominations each, closely followed by Drake with nine nods.

Connie Orlando, BET’s Executive Vice President for Specials, Music Programming, and Music Strategy, expressed, “This year’s BET Hip Hop Awards will mark the culmination of our year-long celebration of hip hop’s storied creation and the art form’s sonic and cultural expansion. We are honored by this year’s roster of nominees as they continue to carry the creativity and diversity of hip-hop into the future. We congratulate each nominee on their accomplishments as they take hip-hop artistry to new heights.”

The awards show will be recorded in Atlanta on Tuesday, October 3, and is set to premiere on BET one week later, on Tuesday, October 10, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The annual show will be overseen by Connie Orlando, BET’s Executive Vice President for Specials, Music Programming, and Music Strategy, along with Jamal Noisette, BET’s Vice President for Specials & Music Programming; Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment; and Jeannae Rouzan–Clay and Dionne Harmon, top executives at Jesse Collins Entertainment.

BET promises that “the telecast will salute 50 years of hip-hop with not-to-be-missed moments and performances.”

Starting on Tuesday, September 12, at noon ET, fans can cast their votes for DJ of the Year, Producer of the Year, and Best Hip Hop Platform on the BET website, where additional information about the awards can also be found.

Check out a list of select nominees below or the full list here.

Best International Flow

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

Best Hip Hop Video

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

Video Director of the Year

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

Song of the Year

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

Hip Hop Album of the Year

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

Hip Hop Artist of the Year

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