Cardi B Leads 2026 BET Awards Nominations With Six Nods

Cardi B enters the 2026 BET Awards as the most nominated artist of the cycle, picking up six nods across music categories. Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist each earned five nominations, while Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean, and Latto all landed four apiece.

The nominations reflect a strong year for Black music across genres. Kendrick Lamar's "luther" collab with SZA is up for Video of the Year after sweeping five Grammys in February. Clipse's Let God Sort 'Em Out competes for Album of the Year alongside Cardi B's AM I THE DRAMA?, Tyler the Creator's DON'T TAP THE GLASS, Bruno Mars's The Romantic, and J. Cole's The Fall-Off, among others.

What the 2026 BET Awards Nominations Tell Us About the Current Landscape

The Album of the Year field alone is worth paying attention to. You have a reunion project in Clipse, a commercial juggernaut in Cardi B, a critical favorite in Tyler, and a legacy closer in J. Cole's The Fall-Off. That range signals how wide the tent for Black music excellence actually is right now.

BET also introduced two new categories this cycle. The Fashion Vanguard Award recognizes cultural figures whose style has shaped broader narratives, with nominees including A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Beyonce, Doechii, Rihanna, and Teyana Taylor. The Pulse Award honors digital creators and content series that moved Black culture forward online, with nominees ranging from the 85 South Show to R&B Money Podcast.

On the new artist side, Olivia Dean and RAYE both received Best New Artist nominations. Dean won the Grammy for best new artist in February, making her one of the more decorated emerging acts in recent memory. For independent and rising artists, watching how BET handles this category is worth the time. The org pulls from a voting academy of entertainment professionals across music, media, and creative arts, so a nomination here carries real industry weight.

Teyana Taylor continues to build a serious creative resume beyond performing. She earned four nominations total, including recognition for her short film "Escape Room" in the Video of the Year category, and she is also nominated as a Video Director of the Year alongside Hype Williams, Cole Bennett, and Cactus Jack.

The show airs live on Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET on BET, with a simulcast across MTV, VH1, CMT, Paramount, and several other networks.

For independent artists and labels, this nominations list is a useful snapshot of where mainstream Black music sits heading into summer 2026. The acts dominating these nominations are setting the sonic and cultural tone that will shape playlisting, radio, and booking decisions for the rest of the year. If you are trying to understand what is resonating right now, this list is a solid starting point. Keep your ears open and [submit your music](/submit) so you are ready when the next cycle comes around.