The nominations for the 2023 BET Awards arrived earlier this month. Beyoncé, Chris Brown, and SZA were the top nominees among R&B artists, each receiving four nominations, including Album of the Year.
Coco Jones, who is performing this year, isn’t far behind with three nominations, while FLO netted two nods.
Rated R&B has compiled 15 facts about this year’s nominees as we approach Culture’s Biggest Night.
Album of the Year
Chris Brown’s Breezy has been nominated for the Album of the Year award at the upcoming ceremony. This marks his first nomination in this category since it was introduced in 2017.
Video of the Year
Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habits” video was nominated for a Video of the Year. It’s his first career nomination. Julian Klincewicz directed the visual.
Viewer’s Choice Award
“Break My Soul” earns Beyoncé her 11th nomination for a Viewer’s Choice Award, solidifying her position as the most nominated solo woman in this category. She scored two nods as a member of Destiny’s Child.
Best Collaboration
Did you know that Mariah Carey and The Weeknd share a common nomination for Best Collaboration this year? Both stars have been recognized for their contributions to different songs – Carey for her assistance on the remix of Latto’s “Big Energy” and The Weeknd for his appearance on Metro Boomin’s “Creepin‘.”
Viewer’s Choice: Best International Act
This is one of FLO’s first three nominations earned this year. This recognition follows their debut tour and the release of their latest single, “Fly Girl” featuring Missy Elliott.
BET HER Award
The platinum song “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, dedicated to the late Chadwick Boseman, who portrayed T-Challa/Black Panther, has been nominated for the Best Her Award. This marks Rihanna’s first nomination for the Best Her Award and her first nomination since 2018.
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
Chris Brown has an impressive record in the Best Male R&B/Pop Artist category, having been nominated for the award for the 14th consecutive time this year. Brown has been nominated a total of 16 times, with previous nominations in 2006 and 2008. He has won six of these nominations.
Best New Artist
Both Ambré and Coco Jones have been nominated for Best New Artist. They each achieved their first No. 1 song this year, with Ambré’s being “I’m Baby” featuring Jvck James and Jones’ being “ICU.”
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
PJ Morton has returned to the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award category after a three-year absence. His song “Better Benediction Pt. 2” featuring Lisa Knowles-Smith, Le’Andria Johnson, Keke Wyatt, Kierra Sheard and Tasha Cobbs Leonard has been nominated.
Best Actor
Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, is now a three-time Best Actor nominee due to his portrayal of Earnest “Earn” Marks on FX’s Atlanta.
Best Group
R&B duo dvsn has been nominated for Best Group, marking their first career nomination. Their latest album, Working On My Karma, was included on Rated R&B’s list of Best R&B Albums of 2022 list.
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Ari Lennox has been nominated for the Best Female R&B/Pop Artist award for the second year in a row. In 2022, she received her first nomination after her song “Pressure” reached the top of the R&B charts. She is once again nominated for the award this year, thanks to her sophomore album, age/sex/location, and another No. 1 hit (“Waste My Time“).
Best International Act
Ella Mai has received her first nomination for Best International Act since the award’s creation in 2018. You can now get her latest album, Heart On My Sleeve (Deluxe Edition), which includes the chart-topping track “DMFU” and the current focus track “This Is.”
Best Actress
Coco Jones and Keke Palmer are both contenders for the Best Actress award this year. It’s their first nomination in this category. Janelle Monáe has earned her second nomination, which comes after her initial nomination in 2017.
Video Director of the Year
Teyana Taylor, who won this award in 2020, has again been nominated for Video Director of the Year. She recently directed music videos for Sean “Diddy” Combs (“Gotta Move On”), Ne-Yo (“You Got the Body“), and Coco Jones (“Caliber“).
See the 2023 BET Awards nominations here.