Entertainment
BET Awards Nominations: Drake & Nicki Minaj Lead The Field
Drake has had a tumultuous month, engaging in an increasingly personal diss battle with Kendrick Larmar that has seemingly ended in his defeat, but Thursday (May 16) brought some good news: He leads the nominations for the 2024 BET Awards.
Drake received seven nods, followed closely by Nicki Minaj with six. J. Cole, Sexyy Red, SZA and Victoria Monet each have five nominations. 21 Savage, Beyounce, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, Tyla and Usher each have four.
The 2024 BET Awards, which bills itself Culture’s Biggest Night, will air live from Los Angeles on BET on Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. This year’s theme is Standing on Culture.
BET also announced the first artists confirmed to perform on the show: GloRilla, Latto, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey and Victoria Monét.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is in its third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ’Em,” which headed that chart for 10 weeks immediately preceding Shaboozey’s smash, is nominated for the Viewer’s Choice Award. So, as genre walls blur, a performer and a nominee on the BET Awards could find themselves nominated for CMA Awards later this year.
Monét’s Jaguar II, which won a Grammy in February for best R&B album, and Killer Mike’s Michael, which won a Grammy for best rap album, are among the BET nominees for album of the year, along with Chris Brown’s 11:11, Gunna’s A Gift & A Curse, 21 Savage’s American Dream, Usher’s Coming Home, Drake’s For All the Dogs (Scary Hours Edition) and Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2.
Monét’s “On My Mama,” which was Grammy-nominated for record of the year, is nominated here for the Viewer’s Choice Award. Other nominees in that category include two tracks that won Grammys in February – Lil Durk featuring J. Cole’s “All My Life,” which won best melodic rap performance; and Tyla’s “Water,” which won the inaugural award for best African music performance.
Drake and Burna Boy are both nominated for BET Awards for both best male R&B/pop artist and best male hip-hop artist. Doja Cat is nominated in the equivalent categories for female artists, a sign of all three artists’ broad appeal.
A musical biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, and a concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, are among the nominees for best movie.
Blue Ivy Carter, the 12-year old daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, is nominated for the YoungStars Award.
Halle Bailey is nominated for best actress and also for the Dr. Bobby Jones best gospel/inspirational award for “Angel.”
Nominations were determined by the BET Voting Academy, which is comprised of entertainment professionals and influencers in the fields of music, media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations and creative arts.
Voting for the BET Awards’ 2024 Viewer’s Choice Award begins June 6 and ends June 30.
Connie Orlando, EVP, specials, music programming & music strategy, will oversee and executive produce the annual show, with Jamal Noisette, SVP, tentpoles & music community engagement to co-executive produce for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2024 BET Awards:
Album of the year
Chris Brown, 11:11
Gunna, A Gift & A Curse
21 Savage, American Dream
Usher, Coming Home
Drake, For All the Dogs (Scary Hours Edition)
Victoria Monét, Jaguar II
Killer Mike, Michael
Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday 2
Best female R&B/pop artist
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
Doja Cat
H.E.R.
Muni Long
SZA
Tyla
Victoria Monét
Best male R&B/pop artist
Brent Faiyaz
Bryson Tiller
Burna Boy
Chris Brown
Drake
Fridayy
October London
Usher
Best group
¥$, Ye, Ty Dolla $ign
2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
41
Blxst & Bino Rideaux
City Girls
Flo
Maverick City Music
Wanmor
Best collaboration
Lil Durk feat. J. Cole, “All My Life”
Beyoncé feat. Kendrick Lamar, “America Has a Problem (Remix)”
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (With Aqua), “Barbie World”
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “Bongos”
¥$, Ye, Ty Dolla $ign feat. Rich The Kid, Playboi Carti, “Carnival”
Lola Brooke feat. Latto & Yung Miami, “Don’t Play With It (Remix)”
Nicki Minaj feat. Lil Uzi Vert, “Everybody”
Usher, Summer Walker & 21 Savage, “Good Good”
Drake feat. Sexyy Red & SZA, “Rich Baby Daddy”
Best female hip-hop artist
Cardi B
Doja Cat
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj
Sexyy Red
Best male hip-hop artist
21 Savage
Burna Boy
Drake
Future
Gunna
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Wayne
Best new artist
41
4Batz
Ayra Starr
Bossman Dlow
Fridayy
October London
Sexyy Red
Tyla
Video of the year
Doja Cat, “Agora Hills”
Lil Durk feat J. Cole, “All My Life”
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (With Aqua), “Barbie World”
Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion, “Bongos”
Drake feat. J. Cole, “First Person Shooter”
Usher, Summer Walker & 21 Savage, “Good Good”
Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
Drake feat. Sexyy Red & SZA, “Rich Baby Daddy”
Video director of the year
Benny Boom
Child.
Cole Bennett
Dave Meyers
Janelle Monáe & Alan Ferguson
Offset
Tems
Tyler, The Creator
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
Shirley Caesar, “Award All of the Glory”
Kirk Franklin, “All Things”
Halle Bailey, “Angel”
CeCe Winans, “Come Jesus Come”
Erica Campbell, Do You Believe in Love?”
Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore, “God Problems”
Tems, “Me & U”
Kirk Franklin, “Try Love”
Viewer’s choice award
Doja Cat, “Agora Hills”
Lil Durk feat. J. Cole, “All My Life”
Gunna, “Fukumean”
Jack Harlow, “Lovin on Me”
Muni Long, “Made for Me”
Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
Drake feat. Sexyy Red & SZA, “Rich Baby Daddy”
Chris Brown feat. Davido & Lojay, “Sensational”
Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ‘Em”
Tyla, “Water”
Best international act
Asake (Africa)
Aya Nakamura (France)
Ayra Starr (Africa)
Bk’ (Brazil)
Cleo Sol (UK)
Focalistic (Africa)
Karol Conká (Brazil)
Raye (UK)
Tiakola (France)
Tyla (Africa)
Viewer’s choice: best new international act
Bellah (UK)
Cristale (UK)
Duquesa (Brazil)
Holly G (France)
Jungeli (France)
Makhadzi (Africa)
Oruam (Brazil)
Seyi Vibez (Africa)
Tyler Icu (Africa)
BET Her
Beyoncé, “16 Carriages”
Nicki Minaj feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard, “Blessings”
Ayra Starr, “Commas”
Flo feat. Missy Elliott, “Fly Girl”
Megan Thee Stallion, “Hiss”
Victoria Monét, “On My Mama”
SZA, “Saturn”
GloRilla, “Yeah Glo!”
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 Award
A’ja Wilson
Angel Reese
Coco Gauff
Flau’jae Johnson
Juju Watkins
Naomi Osaka
Sha’carri Richardson
Simone Biles
Sportsman of the Year Award
Anthony Edwards
Gervonta Davis
Jalen Brunson
Jalen Hurts
Kyrie Irving
Lebron James
Patrick Mahomes
Stephen Curry
Legendary country singer, songwriter and actor Dolly Parton, known for such chart-topping hits as “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You” and “9 to 5,” died Tuesday at the age of 80, according to a social media video announcement by her nephew Brian Seaver.
Parton, who had many hits on the country charts and on the Billboard Hot 100, was also a celebrated actress, starring in “9 to 5” alongside Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, “Rhinestone” alongside Sylvester Stallone and in 1989’s “Steel Magnolias,” which won a People’s Choice Award in 1990.
Among Parton’s accolades include 10 Grammys, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, an Emmy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She sold over 100 million records worldwide, according to her website, and worked with artists such as Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and, to great success, Kenny Rogers.
In recent years, Parton had been renowned for her philanthropy, using her net worth to promote literacy throughout poorer sections of the United States, including through proliferate book-giving and donations through the Dollywood Foundation and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. She was recently reported to have given away her 100 millionth book to the Library of Congress.
“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county, but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 3 million children,” Parton said of the library’s mission.
“Before he passed away, my Daddy told me the Imagination Library was probably the most important thing I had ever done. I can’t tell you how much that meant to me because I created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy,” she said.
Entertainment
Australia Bans Music Entirely Generated By AI
ARIA said it would use a new labelling system introduced by music industry organisations last month to determine the level of AI involvement in a recording.
• AI generated songs
Australia has banned music created entirely by artificial intelligence from its official charts and annual music awards, following a backlash over an AI-heavy cover of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”
The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) announced the changes on Tuesday, saying wholly AI-generated tracks would no longer qualify for its charts from Friday.
ARIA said it would use a new labelling system introduced by music industry organisations last month to determine the level of AI involvement in a recording.
Under the system, music is classified as “AI-Generated” when artificial intelligence creates the entirety or primary portion of the recording’s creative elements, while “AI-Assisted” applies where AI is used for only some expressive elements.
However, songs that use AI only in a supporting role will remain eligible, as the industry seeks to distinguish technology-assisted music from recordings largely created by artificial intelligence.
Under the system, music is classified as “AI-Generated” when artificial intelligence creates the entirety or primary portion of the recording’s creative elements, while “AI-Assisted” applies where AI is used for only some expressive elements.
ARIA chief executive Annabelle Herd said the charts should adapt to legitimate technological developments but should not reward music produced entirely by AI using material derived from the work of other artists.
The actor died after battle with Cancer
Popular Yoruba Nollywood actor Taiwo Hassan, widely known as Ogogo, has died at the age of 66.
The veteran actor passed away on Sunday, August 23, 2026, after a prolonged battle with stage 4 cancer. His death was confirmed by his daughter, Kira (also referred to as Kaira) Taiwo, during an emotional Instagram Live session in which she said, “My daddy is dead.”
The news was also announced by industry figures, including Best of Nollywood awards founder Seun Oloketuyi, who wrote: “Taiwo Hassan Ogogo is dead. He finally lost the battle of life.” Fellow actor Jide Kosoko and others also confirmed the development.
Ogogo’s family had recently appealed for specialised medical help after doctors said chemotherapy was no longer viable. Earlier rumours of his death earlier in the week were debunked by the family.
Born on October 31, 1959, in Ilaro, Ogun State, Taiwo Hassan became one of the most recognisable faces in Yoruba cinema over a career spanning more than three decades. He was celebrated for memorable roles as warriors, stern fathers, chiefs and other powerful characters that helped shape modern Yoruba filmmaking.
His passing has drawn tributes from fans, colleagues and members of the Nollywood community mourning the loss of a veteran who entertained millions.
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