Cardi B leads the 2026 BET Awards nominations, securing six noms including Album of the Year and Best Female Hip Hop Artist.
The nominations, announced Tuesday, position the “I Like It” artist ahead of a highly competitive field of musicians and actors set to be honored at next month’s ceremony. The 2026 BET Awards will air live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 28.
Following closely behind Cardi B are Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist, who both earned five nominations each after dominant years on the charts and the awards circuit. The recognition for Cardi B follows a record-breaking performance at the NAACP Image Awards earlier this spring. During that ceremony, she became the first female rapper since Lauryn Hill in 1999 to win Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album.
Her latest BET nod for Album of the Year honors her recent release, “Am I The Drama?” and she is also recognized in the Best Collaboration category for the “Errtime Remix” featuring Jeezy and Latto. Lamar, who recently took home five Grammy Awards, continues his momentum with nominations for Video of the Year for “Luther” and Best Male Hip Hop Artist. Other major music nominees include Doja Cat, SZA, and Metro Boomin, while the duo Clipse also secured four nods.
