L-R: Tems, Burna Boy, Ayra Starr, Rema and Shallipopi

By Oluwafisayo Ogunwuyi

Nigerian artists are once again at the forefront of global recognition as BET unveiled the nominees for the 2025 BET Awards, with Ayra Starr emerging as the most nominated African artist.

Fellow Nigerian stars Burna Boy, Tems, Rema, and Shallipopi also earned notable nominations.

Ayra Starr secured three nominations: Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Best New Artist, and Best International Act.

The 21-year-old singer, celebrated for her vibrant sound, has enjoyed a good year with chart-topping releases and acclaimed performances across global stages.

Her BET nominations follow her recent wins at the Headies Awards, where she was named Best Female Artist, reinforcing her status as one of Nigeria’s fastest-rising artists.

Grammy-winning singer Tems, known for her soulful music, earned two nominations in the BET Her category for her powerful tracks “Burning” and “Hold On,” both from her debut album Born In The Wild.

Afrobeats heavyweights Burna Boy and Rema were both nominated for Best International Act, underscoring their sustained influence on the global music scene. Burna Boy, a dominant force in the genre, is no stranger to this category, having taken home the award four times.

Shallipopi, a breakout star known for his street-hop sound, received a nomination in the Best New International Act Category, representing a new wave of Nigerian talent gaining international attention.

Other African acts such as South Africa’s Tyla and Uncle Waffles, Ghana’s Black Sherif, and Tanzania’s Abigail Chams were also nominated in various categories.

On the broader nominations list, American rapper Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s nominations with ten nominations, including Album of the Year for GNX and Video of the Year for “Not Like Us.”

Doechii, Drake, Future, and GloRilla each garnered six nominations, followed by Metro Boomin with five. SZA and The Weeknd received four nominations apiece.

The nominations span music, film, television, and sports, and were selected by the BET Voting Academy, comprising industry professionals across entertainment, media, digital, public relations, and the creative arts.

The Complete List Of Nominees is:

Album of the Year

$OME $EXY $ONGS 4 U DRAKE & PARTYNEXTDOOR

11:11 DELUXE CHRIS BROWN

ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL DOECHII

COWBOY CARTER BEYONCÉ

GLORIOUS GLORILLA

GNX KENDRICK LAMAR

HURRY UP TOMORROW THE WEEKND

WE DON’T TRUST YOU FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

AYRA STARR

ARI LENNOX

COCO JONES

KEHLANI

MUNI LONG

SUMMER WALKER

SZA

VICTORIA MONÉT

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist

BRUNO MARS

CHRIS BROWN

DRAKE

FRIDAYY

LEON THOMAS

TEDDY SWIMS

THE WEEKND

USHER

Best Group

41

COMMON & PETE ROCK

DRAKE & PARTYNEXTDOOR

FLO

FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN

JACQUEES & DEJ LOAF

LARRY JUNE, 2 CHAINZ, THE ALCHEMIST

MAVERICK CITY MUSIC

Best Collaboration

30 FOR 30 SZA FEAT. KENDRICK LAMAR

ALTER EGO DOECHII FEAT. JT

ARE YOU EVEN REAL TEDDY SWIMS FEAT. GIVEON

BECKHAM DEE BILLZ FEAT. KYLE RICHH, KAI SWERVO, KJ SWERVO

BLESS LIL WAYNE, WHEEZY & YOUNG THUG

LIKE THAT FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN & KENDRICK LAMAR

LUTHER KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA

STICKY TYLER, THE CREATOR FEAT. GLORILLA, SEXYY RED & LIL WAYNE

TIMELESS THE WEEKND FEAT. PLAYBOI CARTI

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

CARDI B

DOECHII

DOJA CAT

GLORILLA

LATTO

MEGAN THEE STALLION

NICKI MINAJ

RAPSODY

SEXYY RED

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

BURNA BOY

BIGXTHAPLUG

BOSSMAN DLOW

DRAKE

FUTURE

KENDRICK LAMAR

KEY GLOCK

LIL WAYNE

TYLER, THE CREATOR

Video of the Year

3AM IN TOKEYO KEY GLOCK

A BAR SONG (TIPSY) SHABOOZEY

AFTER HOURS KEHLANI

DENIAL IS A RIVER DOECHII

FAMILY MATTERS DRAKE

NOT LIKE US KENDRICK LAMAR

TIMELESS THE WEEKND FEAT. PLAYBOI CARTI

TYPE SHIT FUTURE, METRO BOOMIN, TRAVIS SCOTT & PLAYBOI CARTI

Video Director of the Year

ANDERSON .PAAK

B PACE PRODUCTIONS & JACQUEES

BENNY BOOM

CACTUS JACK

COLE BENNETT

DAVE FREE & KENDRICK LAMAR

DAVE MEYERS

FOGGIERAW

TYLER, THE CREATOR

Best New Artist

41

AYRA STARR

BIGXTHAPLUG

BOSSMAN DLOW

DEE BILLZ

LEON THOMAS

OCTOBER LONDON

SHABOOZEY

TEDDY SWIMS

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award

A GOD (THERE IS) COMMON & PETE ROCK FEAT. JENNIFER HUDSON

AMEN PASTOR MIKE JR.

BETTER DAYS FRIDAYY

CHURCH DOORS YOLANDA ADAMS FEAT. SIR THE BAPTIST & DONALD

LAWRENCE (TERRY HUNTER REMIX)

CONSTANT MAVERICK CITY MUSIC, JORDIN SPARKS, CHANDLER MOORE & ANTHONY GARGIULA

DESERVE TO WIN TAMELA MANN

FAITH RAPSODY

RAIN DOWN ON ME GLORILLA FEAT. KIRK FRANKLIN, MAVERICK CITY MUSIC

Viewer’s Choice Award

RESIDUALS CHRIS BROWN

DENIAL IS A RIVER DOECHII

NOKIA DRAKE

LIKE THAT FUTURE & METRO BOOMIN FEAT. KENDRICK LAMAR

TGIF GLORILLA

NOT LIKE US KENDRICK LAMAR

LUTHER KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA

BROKEY LATTO

Best International Act

ANY GABRIELLY (BRAZIL)

AYRA STARR (NIGERIA)

BASHY (UNITED KINGDOM)

BLACK SHERIF (GHANA)

EZRA COLLECTIVE (UNITED KINGDOM)

JOÉ DWÈT FILÉ (FRANCE)

MC LUANNA (BRAZIL)

REMA (NIGERIA)

SDM (FRANCE)

TYLA (SOUTH AFRICA)

UNCLE WAFFLES (SWAZILAND)

Best New International Act

ABIGAIL CHAMS (TANZANIA)

AJULIACOSTA (BRAZIL)

AMABBI (BRAZIL)

DLALA THUKZIN (SOUTH AFRICA)

DR YARO (FRANCE)

KWN (UNITED KINGDOM)

MAGLERA DOE BOY (SOUTH AFRICA)

MERVEILLE (FRANCE)

ODEAL (UNITED KINGDOM)

SHALLIPOPI (NIGERIA)

TxC (SOUTH AFRICA)

BET Her

BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE MARY J. BLIGE

BLACKBIIRD BEYONCÉ FEAT. TANNER ADELL, BRITTNEY

SPENCER, TIERA KENNEDY & REYNA ROBERTS

BLOOM DOECHII

BURNING TEMS

DEFYING GRAVITY CYNTHIA ERIVO FEAT. ARIANA GRANDE

HEART OF A WOMAN SUMMER WALKER

HOLD ON TEMS

IN MY BAG FLO & GLORILLA

Best Movie

BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE

BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F

LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH

MUFASA: THE LION KING

ONE OF THEM DAYS

REBEL RIDGE

THE PIANO LESSON

THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT

Best Actor

AARON PIERRE

ALDIS HODGE

ANTHONY MACKIE

COLMAN DOMINGO

DENZEL WASHINGTON

JAMIE FOXX

JOEY BADA$$

KEVIN HART

STERLING K. BROWN

WILL SMITH

Best Actress

ANDRA DAY

ANGELA BASSETT

COCO JONES

CYNTHIA ERIVO

KEKE PALMER

KERRY WASHINGTON

QUINTA BRUNSON

VIOLA DAVIS

ZENDAYA

YoungStars Award

AKIRA AKBAR

BLUE IVY CARTER

GRACEYN “GRACIE” HOLLINGSWORTH

HEIRESS HARRIS

MELODY HURD

THADDEUS J. MIXSON

TYRIK JOHNSON

VANVAN

Sportswoman of the Year Award

A’JA WILSON

ANGEL REESE

CLARESSA SHIELDS

COCO GAUFF

DAWN STALEY

FLAU’JAE JOHNSON

JUJU WATKINS

SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON

SIMONE BILES

Sportsman of the Year Award

AARON JUDGE

ANTHONY EDWARDS

DEION SANDERS

JALEN HURTS

JAYSON TATUM

LEBRON JAMES

SAQUON BARKLEY

STEPHEN CURRY