The BET Awards 2025 are set to return on Monday, June 9, once again honoring Black excellence across music, film, television, and sports. Kendrick Lamar leads the pack with an impressive 10 nods, including Album of the Year (GNX), Video of the Year (“Not Like Us”), and Best Collaboration. Trailing close behind with six nominations each are Doechii, Drake, Future, and GloRilla. Other artists with multiple nods include SZA, The Weeknd, Ayra Starr, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Maverick City Music, Playboi Carti, Teddy Swims, and Tyler, The Creator.
With the big night quickly approaching and fans eagerly awaiting the results, we’re breaking down this year’s top categories to share our predictions on who’s most likely to take home a trophy. Here’s who we think will win at the 2025 BET Awards.
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Album of the Year Winner: GNX by Kendrick Lamar
It’s hard to imagine Kendrick Lamar not taking home the top honor of the night. GNX spawned several hit singles, including “Luther,” which spent 13 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and debuted with an impressive 44 million first-day streams on Spotify.
Strong contenders: Hurry Up Tomorrow – The Weeknd, Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
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Best Female R&B/Pop Artist Winner: SZA
Over the last two and a half years, SZA has remained one of the top artists, both commercially and on streaming platforms. Following the release of her Grammy-winning SOS in 2022, she expanded the album’s tracklist with the Lana reissue at the end of 2024. With new hit singles such as “BMF” and “30 for 30,” the reissue helped SOS return to the top of the Billboard 200. It’s safe to say SZA is the clear frontrunner in this category.
Strong contender: Victoria Monét
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Best Male R&B/Pop Artist Winner: Teddy Swims
This year’s Best Male R&B/Pop Artist category has several strong candidates. We bet on Teddy Swims, who dominated the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024 with his breakout hit “Lose Control,” which remains in the top 10 as of June 2025. Despite spending just one week at No. 1, the song topped the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 and broke several records—including becoming the longest-running top 10 hit in chart history. Additionally, Teddy’s sophomore album, I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 2), peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and featured another fan-favorite track, “Bad Dreams.”
Strong contenders: The Weeknd, Usher, Bruno Mars, Chris Brown
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Best Group Winner: Future & Metro Boomin
In early 2024, Future and Metro Boomin took center stage with two joint albums: We Don’t Trust You and We Still Don’t Trust You. The former earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album and featured the hit single “Like That,” which also received two Grammy nods.
Strong contenders: Drake & PartyNextDoor, Maverick City Music
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Best Collaboration Winner: “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar & SZA
In another tight race, the BET Award for Best Collaboration should go to Kendrick Lamar and SZA. Their joint effort “Luther” became a massive success, solidifying its status over the past few months. The song spent 13 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming not only one of the biggest hits of the 2020s but also one of the longest-running No. 1s in Hot 100 history.
Strong contenders: “Timeless” – The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti, “Like That” – Future & Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
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Best Female Hip-Hop Artist Winner: Doechii
2024 was Doechii’s breakthrough year. Her debut studio album, Alligator Bites Never Heal, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album—making her only the third female rapper in history to take home the coveted award, following Lauryn Hill and Cardi B. She followed up with another commercial success: the single “Anxiety,” which gained massive popularity on social media.
Strong contenders: Megan Thee Stallion, GloRilla
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Best Male Hip-Hop Artist Winner: Kendrick Lamar
Once again, Kendrick Lamar dominated the rap and hip-hop scene throughout 2024. He first topped charts with “Not Like Us,” a diss track aimed at Drake. He later released his sixth album, GNX, capping off the year on a high note.
Strong contenders: Tyler, The Creator; Future; Lil Wayne
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Best New Artist Winner: Shaboozey
This category comes down to a battle between Shaboozey and Teddy Swims. We place the country-rap crossover star just ahead, as he not only experienced his mainstream breakthrough in 2024 but also made history with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which tied Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” as the longest-running No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (19 weeks).
Strong contenders: Teddy Swims, BigXThaPlug
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