Continuing a trend that played out on the Billboard charts earlier this year, Drake and Cardi B are sitting happy atop the BET Hip Hop Awards heap this year, racking up 21 nominations collectively.
Drake leads the entire field with 11 nominations, including nods for Album of the Year, for Scorpion, and Lyricist of the Year. Cardi B follows closely behind, however, with 10 nominations of her own, and faces off against her chart rival in several categories, including “Hustler of the Year” and “Sweet 16,” which awards the best featured verse.
Both artists had record-breaking years in 2018. With Invasion of Privacy, Cardi broke Beyoncé’s record for having the most simultaneous Billboard US Hot 100 entries by a female artist. All 13 of the albums’ tracks cracked the Hot 100. She was also the first female rapper to get two Billboard number one songs.
For his part, Drake broke a record held by none other than the Beatles; seven songs from Scorpion cracked Billboard’s Top 10 singles chart this year, eclipsing the Beatles’ record of five.
Trailing behind Drake and Cardi is Childish Gambino, who is nominated for six awards, and Travis Scott and Kendrick Lamar, both nominated for five awards.
Queen Bey also earned a couple nominations for her work alongside husband, Jay-Z: “Apesh*t” garnered a Single of the Year nod, and their joint album, Everything Is Love, was nominated for Album of the Year.
And what about that other Queen? Nicki Minaj earned two nominations this year, one for the “Made You Look” category, which rewards the person with the “best hip-hop style” and another for “Sweet 16.” She faces off against Cardi B in both categories.
Regardless of who wins, I can’t wait to see the seating arrangments.
Perhaps the most controversial nominee this year is XXXTentacion; the popular soundcloud rapper who was also accused of beating his pregnant ex-girlfriend was nominated posthumously for “Best New Artist.”
The awards will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, and broadcast on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
Check out the full nominee list below:
Best Hip-Hop Video
Cardi B - I Like It Feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin
Childish Gambino - This Is America
Drake - God’s Plan
Kendrick Lamar – Loyalty Feat. Rihanna
Migos - Walk It Talk It Feat. Drake
Hot Ticket Performer
Cardi B
Childish Gambino
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
Travis Scott
Album of the Year
Cardi B - Invasion Of Privacy
Drake - Scorpion
J. Cole - KOD
Migos - Culture II
The Carters - Everything Is Love
Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom
Dave Meyers & The Little Homies
Director X
Eif Rivera
Hiro Murai
Karena Evans
Lyricist of the Year
Childish Gambino
Drake
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar
Travis Scott
MVP of the Year
Cardi B
Childish Gambino
Drake
J. Cole
Travis Scott
Producer of the Year
Ben Billions
DJ Esco
DJ Mustard
Metro Boomin
Pharrell Williams
Best Collabo, Duo or Group
21 Savage & Offset & Metro Boomin - Ric Flair Drip
BlocBoy JB - Look Alive Feat. Drake
Cardi B - I Like It Feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin
Post Malone – Rockstar Feat. 21 Savage
The Carters – Apesh*t
Single of the Year
Apesh*t - Produced By Pharrell (The Carters)
God’s Plan - Produced By Cardo, Young Exclusive and Boi-1da (Drake)
I Like It - Produced By Craig Kallman, JWhiteDidIt and Tainy (Cardi B Feat. Bad Bunny & J Balvin)
Nice For What - Produced By Murda Beatz (Drake)
This Is America - Produced By Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson (Childish Gambino)
Best New Hip-Hop Artist
BlocBoy JB
Juice Wrld
Lil Baby
Rich The Kid
XXXTentacion
Best Mixtape
BlocBoy JB - Simi
Future - Beast Mode 2
Juicy J – Shut Da F* Up
Lil Wayne - Dedication 6: Reloaded
Zoey Dollaz - Sorry Not Sorry
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
21 Savage - “Bartier Cardi” (Cardi B Feat. 21 Savage)
Cardi B - “Motorsport” (Migos Feat. Cardi B & Nicki Minaj)
Drake - “Look Alive” (BlocBoy JB Feat. Drake)
Kendrick Lamar - “New Freezer” (Rich The Kid Feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Nicki Minaj - “Big Bank” (YG Feat. 2 Chainz, Big Sean & Nicki Minaj)
Impact Track
Childish Gambino - This Is America
Dej Loaf & Leon Bridges - Liberated
Lecrae - I’ll Find You Feat. Tori Kelly
Meek Mill – Stay Woke Feat. Miguel
N.E.R.D - 1,000 Feat. FUTURE
DJ of the Year
Calvin Harris
DJ Envy
DJ Drama
DJ Khaled
DJ Mustard
Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style)
Cardi B
Migos
Nicki Minaj
Remy Ma
Travis Scott
Best Hip-Hop Online Site/App
ALLHIPHOP
Complex
Hot New Hip Hop
Worldstar
XXL
Hustler of the Year
Cardi B
DJ Khaled
Drake
Jay-Z
Kendrick Lamar
Travis Scott