Hov is the blueprint, bar none. He would be on rap’s Mt. Rushmore if it existed and over the course of his career, he’s delivered countless songs that are important to hip-hop without sacrificing his consciousness or integrity — something that’s hard to do when you make it to that top spot and stay there. He’s one of the world’s best-selling musicians, with 50 million albums sold across the globe, has 22 Grammy Awards, and 14 No. 1 solo albums on the Billboard 200. He’s a brilliant business magnate and continues to showcase, on the microphone and in business boardrooms, why he’s a force to be reckoned with. 

Over the years, he has rightfully cleaned up at the Hip Hop Awards. He won Best Lyricist of the Year in 2009 as well as MVP of the year after winning both Hip Hop Hustler of the Year and Hot Ticket Performer in 2006 and 2007 respectively. He’s took home the award for CD of the Year multiple times (thanks to The Blueprint 3 and Watch the Throne) and has had tracks like “Apeshit” (The Carters)” win multiple awards at the same time (Single of the Year and Best Collabo, Duo or Group). This is a throne that he’s watching over, for sure. 

 The West Coast’s hope, Kendrick Lamar, has over 160 awardsin total since he burst onto the scene with 2012’s Good Kid M.A.A.D City. There’s a reason why hip-hop legends like Dr. Dreembraced him from the start and, even though he remains somewhat elusive, he has practically taken over the world with his critically acclaimed, pensive, and socially important projects. He’s Top Dawg Entertainment’s most visible soldier, one who has snagged 13 Grammys in less than a decade. 

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If you've listened to one of Lamar’s songs, it comes as no surprise that he’s won both Lyricist of the Year and MVP of the Year before (in 2012). Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City won him Album of the Year and in 2014, 2015, and 2016, he won Lyricist of the Year again. Two of his videos (“Alright” and “Humble”) have won the awards for Best Hip Hop Video and after winning Album of the Year for Damn in 2017, guess who won Lyricist of the Year in 2018? Through it all, he remains humble. 

Everybody on this list is a household name, but there’s no one who’s a man of the moment more than Mr. Drizzy himself. He’s been in the game for over a decade, constantly reinventing himself while staying true to Drake's pensive, emotional, and bar-dominant image. Each of his five critically-acclaimed studio albums have produced massive, cultural hits and not only has he won multiple Grammy awards, he’s also been awarded several Billboard chart records such as spending the most time on the Hot 100, having the most top 10 hits on the same chart, and much more. 

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He came into the game on a tier and his winning Rookie of the Year at the 2009 BET Awards reflected that. He further showcased his potential by winning MVP of the Year at the 2010 ceremony and from there, he further progressed and kept up the train. “Worst Behavior” took home the trophy for Best Hip Hop Video in 2014 and Nothing Was The Same won Album of the Year that same year. He went on to win MVP of the Year again in 2015 and took home the award for Album of the Year in 2016 thanks to Views. All in all, he has 19 awards under his belt.

Kanye West is one of the world’s biggest artists across all genres, and regardless of whatever else that he has going on at the moment, he deserves to be respected for his musical achievements. With more than 140 million record sold, 21 Grammy Awards, three albums in Rolling Stone’s Greatest Albums of All Time List, and a general, legendary acumen for creating some of the most inventive hip-hop music in the world, there’s no doubt that Ye’s prowess in rap is that of a legend cementing his legacy. 

At the BET Hip Hop Awards, Ye’s art always gets the highest achievements. He won the award for Best Live Performance in 2007 and his videos for “Stronger” and “Good Life” (with T-Pain) won the trophies for Best Hip Hop Video in 2007 and 2008 respectively. In 2009, he took home the trophy for Producer of the Year and three years later, he snagged it again. He’s also won the award for Best Hip Hop Style on multiple occasions, and seeing the growth of his own fashion line and partnership with Adidas, it makes sense that he’s one of the game’s best dressed.  

 Weezy F. Baby has given the game blood, sweat, and tears over the course of his two and a half decades as rap’s Best Rapper Alive. He’s been an impenetrable force and constant source of bars — one that’s sold over 120 million records to date and won five Grammy Awards. In 2008, he sold a million albums in a week for Tha Carter 3 and has been an unforgettable figure in rap’s space since he came in. 

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The Hip Hop Awards were designed for rappers like Lil Wayne so it’s only right that he cleans up whenever he drops. He won MVP of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, CD of the Year, and more at the 2008 BET Hip Hop Awards. In 2011, he won Lyricist of the Year again and also took home the award for Best Live Performer. To go along with his long string of trophies, he took home the legendary trophy for the I Am Hip Hop Award in 2018, cementing the fact that he truly is one of the best ever to do it. At just 38 years old (he just celebrated a birthday on September 27) Lil Wayne has so far snagged 15 awards in total.

Watch the he 2020 Hip Hop Awards on BET on October 27 at 9/10c.