Cole, Drake, Lil Baby, DaBaby and surprise nominee Jack Harlow. Other nominees at the show include The Weeknd, up for album of the year and best male pop/R&B artist, and late rapper Pop Smoke, who won five Billboard Music Awards this week and picked up two nominations at the BET Awards, including best male hip-hop artist. “We broke ground as one of the first official award shows to move forward during the global pandemic and we are ready to take our pioneer status to the next level with the return of an audience to celebrate the best and brightest creative minds in the entertainment industry.” safely back to Los Angeles to celebrate this year’s incredible roster of nominees,” Connie Orlando, BET’s executive vice president of specials, music programming and music strategy, said in a statement Thursday. “We are back and excited to bring culture’s biggest night. While press at the awards show will be limited, BET does plan to have a red carpet ahead of the live event. The network said it is working closely with Los Angeles County to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. This year’s show will allow those who are vaccinated to register to be part of the live audience. It was a critical success and featured highly produced and well-crafted pre-taped performances, with some centered around the Black experience highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement, civil rights and the lives of those lost because of police officers, including George Floyd. Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby were two of the big stars at last year’s BET Awards - the first awards show to air during the pandemic. All of those acts are nominated for video of the year. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" earned three nominations, including video of the year.ĭrake and Cardi B are the second-most nominated acts, scoring five bids each, while four nominations went to Chris Brown, Chloe x Halle, Bruno Mars and Anderson.