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THE “BET AWARDS” 2021 WILL AIR LIVE FROM MICROSOFT THEATER AT L.A. LIVE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 27 AT 8 PM ET/ PT ON BET

MEGAN THEE STALLION AND DABABY LEAD WITH SEVEN NOMINATIONS EACH CARDI B AND DRAKE FOLLOW WITH FIVE NOMINATIONS APIECE

ANDERSON .PAAK, BRUNO MARS, CHLOE X HALLE, AND CHRIS BROWN TIE WITH FOUR NOMINATIONS

#BETAWARDS

Today, BET announces the “BET AWARDS” 2021 nominees with Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby leading the pack with seven nominations respectively. This year’s nominees reflect an abundance of creative expression and Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports. The “BET AWARDS” 2021 will air LIVE, Sunday, June 27 on BET at 8 pm ET/ PT.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210527005668/en/

Megan Thee Stallion (photo credit: Marcelo Cantu)

“We are back and excited to bring culture’s biggest night, the 2021 ‘BET Awards,’ safely back to Los Angeles to celebrate this year’s incredible roster of nominees,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy. “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.”

Megan Thee Stallion, who left her mark in last year’s telecast with her Mad Max inspired performance for “Girls in The Hood” and “Savage,” claims one of the top spots securing seven nominations for ‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ for WAP, ‘Album of the Year,’ for Good News, ‘Viewer’s Choice Award (x2),’ and ‘Best Collaboration,’ for her features with DaBaby (Cry Baby) and Cardi B (WAP). After his searing and powerful ‘Rockstar’ performance at last year’s “BET Awards,” DaBaby claims the other top spot securing seven nods, including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Album of the Year,’ for Blame it on Baby, ‘Viewer’s Choice Award,’ and four nods for ‘Best Collaboration’ for his features alongside Roddy Ricch (Rockstar), Megan Thee Stallion (Cry Baby), Pop Smoke & Lil Baby (For The Night), and Jack Harlow Tory Lanez & Lil Wayne (Whats Poppin- Remix).

Cardi B and Drake garnered the second most nods with five nominations each. Cardi B’s nods include ‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ twice for WAP and UP. Drake’s nods include ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ for Laugh Now Cry Later featuring Lil Durk and ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’. Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Chloe X Halle, and Chris Brown are the third-highest with four nominations each and are all up for the coveted ‘Video of the Year’ award.

Culture’s biggest night, the “BET AWARDS,” continues its reign in its twenty-first year as the ultimate platform to showcase the best, brightest, and most beautiful aspects of the Black experience – celebrating Black music’s present and future, and elevating the culture and being a driving force for social change.

Following last year’s groundbreaking virtual awards show, the “BET AWARDS” returns this year with a live show audience. Beginning today, vaccinated individuals can register here for consideration to be part of the “BET AWARDS” 2021 live show audience. BET will work closely with Los Angeles County to support community vaccination efforts and ensure adherence to COVID-19 protocols.

Due to these safety parameters, press access to the show will be limited and “BET AWARDS” will not be issuing a credential form. Media will be invited directly to cover any in person opportunities, including the red carpet, with additional remote/virtual press opportunities to be announced at a later date.

BET recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across 21 categories with The “BET Awards” 2021 nominations (‘Viewer’s Choice Award: Best New International Act’ will be released at a later date). The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is composed of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and creative arts.

Internationally, the show will simulcast on BET Africa at 2 am CAT and MTV Brazil at 9 pm BRT on June 27th, followed by international broadcasts on MTV UK on June 28th at 9 pm BST, BET France on June 29th at 8:45pm CEST. The show will also be available to watch on My5 and Sky On-Demand in the UK beginning June 29th.

The complete list of nominees for The “BET AWARDS” 2021 are:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

AFTER HOURS - THE WEEKND BLAME IT ON BABY - DABABY GOOD NEWS - MEGAN THEE STALLION HEAUX TALES - JAZMINE SULLIVAN KING’S DISEASE - NAS UNGODLY HOUR - CHLOE X HALLE

BEST COLLABORATION

CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION - WAP DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH - ROCKSTAR DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE - POPSTAR JACK HARLOW FT. DABABY, TORY LANEZ & LIL WAYNE - WHATS POPPIN (REMIX) MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. DABABY - CRY BABY POP SMOKE FT. LIL BABY & DABABY - FOR THE NIGHT

BEST FEMALE R&B / POP ARTIST

BEYONCÉ H.E.R. JAZMINE SULLIVAN JHENÉ AIKO SUMMER WALKER SZA

BEST MALE R&B / POP ARTIST

6LACK ANDERSON .PAAK CHRIS BROWN GIVEON TANK THE WEEKND

BEST NEW ARTIST

COI LERAY FLO MILLI GIVEON JACK HARLOW LATTO POOH SHIESTY

BEST GROUP

21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN CHLOE X HALLE CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG CITY GIRLS MIGOS SILK SONIC

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST

CARDI B COI LERAY DOJA CAT MEGAN THEE STALLION LATTO SAWEETIE

BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST

DABABY DRAKE J. COLE JACK HARLOW LIL BABY POP SMOKE

DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD

BEBE WINANS - IN JESUS NAME CECE WINANS - NEVER LOST H.E.R. - HOLD US TOGETHER KIRK FRANKLIN - STRONG GOD MARVIN SAPP - THANK YOU FOR IT ALL TAMELA MANN – TOUCH FROM YOU

BET HER AWARD

ALICIA KEYS FT. KHALID - SO DONE BRANDY FT. CHANCE THE RAPPER - BABY MAMA BRI STEVES - ANTI QUEEN CHLOE X HALLE - BABY GIRL CIARA FT. ESTER DEAN - ROOTED SZA - GOOD DAYS

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT

AYA NAKAMURA (FRANCE) BURNA BOY (NIGERIA) DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA) EMICIDA (BRAZIL) HEADIE ONE (UK) WIZKID (NIGERIA) YOUNG T & BUGSEY (UK) YOUSSOUPHA (FRANCE)

VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD

CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION - WAP CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG - GO CRAZY DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH - ROCKSTAR DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE - POPSTAR DRAKE FT. LIL DURK - LAUGH NOW CRY LATER LIL BABY - THE BIGGER PICTURE MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. BEYONCÉ - SAVAGE (REMIX) SILK SONIC - LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

CARDI B - UP CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION - WAP CHLOE X HALLE - DO IT CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG - GO CRAZY DRAKE FT. LIL DURK - LAUGH NOW CRY LATER SILK SONIC - LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

BENNY BOOM BRUNO MARS AND FLORENT DÉCHARD COLE BENNETT COLIN TILLEY DAVE MEYERS HYPE WILLIAMS

BEST MOVIE

COMING 2 AMERICA JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… SOUL THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY

BEST ACTRESS

ANDRA DAY ANGELA BASSETT ISSA RAE JURNEE SMOLLETT VIOLA DAVIS ZENDAYA

BEST ACTOR

ALDIS HODGE CHADWICK BOSEMAN DAMSON IDRIS DANIEL KALUUYA EDDIE MURPHY LAKEITH STANFIELD

YOUNGSTARS AWARD

ALEX R. HIBBERT ETHAN HUTCHISON LONNIE CHAVIS MARSAI MARTIN MICHAEL EPPS STORM REID

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

A'JA WILSON CANDACE PARKER CLARESSA SHIELDS NAOMI OSAKA SERENA WILLIAMS SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

KYRIE IRVING LEBRON JAMES PATRICK MAHOMES RUSSELL WESTBROOK RUSSELL WILSON STEPHEN CURRY

Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET and Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment serve as Executive Producers for the “BET Awards” 2021 broadcast special.

Voting for the “BET AWARDS” 2021 ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’ begins on June 7th. For the latest “BET AWARDS” 2021 news and updates, including details on audience selection and eligibility, please visit BET.com/Awards.

About BET:

BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African American audience. The primary BET channel is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience; BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

ABOUT “BET AWARDS”

The “BET Awards” is one of the most-watched award shows on cable television according to the Nielsen Company. The “BET Awards” franchise remains as the #1 program in cable TV history among African-Americans, and it is BET's #1 telecast every year. It recognizes the triumphs and successes of artists, entertainers, and athletes in a variety of categories.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT

Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE’s film development projects which could include Viacom’s film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series—American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children’s series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows—BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials—John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin’, Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows—Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder and CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also a co-executive producer for the iconic Grammy Awards. Most recently, he was executive producer of The 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show and produced The 2021 Academy Awards. Go to jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.

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