Cardi B leads the nominations for the 2026 BET Awards with six nods, followed by Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist, with five nods each; and Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean and Latto, with four nods each.
A$AP Rocky, Bruno Mars, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown, Jill Scott, Kehlani, Metro Boomin, SZA, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, T.I. and YK Niece each received three nods. Mariah the Scientist, Taylor and Kehlani were each honoured at the Billboard Women in Music event on April 29. Mariah the Scientist won the Rising Star award, Taylor took the Visionary award and Kehlani received the Impact award. Kendrick won five Grammys on Feb. 1, including best record of the year and best melodic rap performance for “Luther,” his megahit collab with SZA. Here, that smash is nominated for video of the year.
Clipse’s Let God Sort ‘Em Out, which received a 2026 Grammy nomination for album of the year, is also nominated in that category here. Olivia Dean, who won the Grammy for best new artist on Feb. 1, is also nominated in that category here. She is competing here with RAYE, who was Grammy-nominated in that category at the 2025 ceremony. BET has added two new categories this year. The Fashion Vanguard Award recognizes a global figure whose fashion presence has had long-standing cultural impact, has significantly influenced style narratives, and continues to elevate fashion as a form of storytelling across music, film, sports and public life. This year’s nominees are A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Colman Domingo, Doechii, Rihanna, Teyana Taylor and Zendaya.