BET Awards 2021: How To Watch, Nominees, Performers and More
The BET Awards 2021 will air tonight (Sunday, June 27) beginning at 8/7C. The awards celebrate the year in Black music, television, film, sports, and social impact, honoring the hitmakers who have shifted the culture.
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Since 2001, the BET Awards has celebrated the year’s achievements in Black culture by honoring the top artists, songs, videos, films, actors and sportspeople. This year’s 21st annual BET Awards will return with a live studio audience after last year’s groundbreaking virtual event. In 2020, the BET Awards was the first award show to move forward during the pandemic, and it set the tone for virtual and hybrid award shows for the rest of the season. This year we clelebrate the "year of the Black woman" at the live show, which returns to the stage at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. with more viral performances and tributes.
How to Watch the 2021 BET Awards
Date: Sunday, June 27, 2021
Pre-Show Start Time: 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT
Show Start Time: 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT
“Pass the Mic” Time: 11:30 p.m. ET, 8:30 p.m. PT
Location: Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live – Los Angeles, CA
Watch on TV: BET, BET Her, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, VH1 and TV Land. Check your local TV listings.
Follow: @BET, #BETAwards, #CulturesBiggestNight
For international viewers, the show will be simulcast on BET Africa at 2 am CAT and MTV Brazil at 9 pm BRT on June 27th. There will also be international broadcasts on MTV UK on June 28th at 9 pm BST and BET France on June 29th at 8:45pm CEST. The show will also be available to watch in the UK on My5 and Sky On-Demand beginning June 29th.
Winners
Performers
The BET Awards 2021 will have the largest number of performers in the show’s history. The all-star performance line-up will include Megan Thee Stallion as well as Andra Day, City Girls, DaBaby, DJ Khaled, H.E.R., Jazmine Sullivan, Kirk Franklin, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Migos, Moneybagg Yo!, Rapsody and Roddy Rich. Up-and-coming artist Tone Stith will perform on the BET Amplified Stage, receiving BET music’s stamp of approval as the next big act to watch.
The show will include a special tribute to rap legend DMX, who passed away this February at age 50. The tribute will include performances of X’s biggest hits by Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Swizz Beatz, Griselda, and more, along with a special appearance by Michael K. Williams.
Host and Lifetime Achievement Honoree
The show will specially honor the ladies this year. Under the theme, “The Year of the Black Woman,” the BET Awards 2021 will honor and celebrate the immense cultural impact of Black women. Golden-Globe winning actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist Taraji P. Henson will host the show, and GRAMMY-winning musician, Academy-Award nominated actor, and all-around icon Queen Latifah will receive the Lifetime Achievement BET Award.
Henson is best known for her Golden-Globe and BET-award winning performance as Cookie Lyon on the television series Empire, which aired from 2015-2020. The actress has been in the game for years, receiving an Academy-Award nomination for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2009. The philanthropist and mental health advocate also founded the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honor of her late father, which offers mental health services to youth in urban schools.
Latifah has excelled in everything under the sun. The rapper, singer and actress became the first hip hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She received an Academy-Award nomination for playing Matron “Mama” Morton in Chicago, and she is also critically acclaimed for her roles in the films Bessie, Life Support and Girls Trip. She currently stars and is an executive producer for The Equalizer, TV’s no. 1 scripted series this year.
Presenters
This year's presenters include Ashanti, Chloe Bailey, Ciara, Crystal Renee Hayslett, DJ Cassidy, Ebony Obsidian, Eva Marcille, Issa Rae, Jill Scott, KJ Smith, Lena Waithe, Marsai Martin, Michelle Buteau, Michelle Mitchenor, Mignon, Mj Rodriguez, Naomi Campbell, Novi Brown, Regina Hall, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Saweetie, and Sevyn Streeter.
Jennifer Hudson will also be making a special appearance at the award show.
A special tribute will be presented in honor of the late, great rapper DMX with a tribute curated by producer Swizz Beatz, and will include performances from Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Swizz Beatz, Griselda, and a special appearance by Michael K. Williams.
Aftershow
The party will continue after the awards with DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic: BET Awards Edition. In his viral Pass the Mic series, Cassidy DJs a set from his living room as iconic artists appear virtually to sing their hit songs. This after show edition of Pass the Mic will highlight 2000s Hip Hop & R&B, with Ashanti, Ja Rule, Nelly, Fabolous, Sean Paul, Kelis, Akon, and Fat Joe set to appear along with other surprise guests. Pass the Mic: BET Awards Edition will air at 11:30pm ET on BET, directly after the awards.
Nominees
Rappers Megan thee Stallion and DaBaby lead this year’s nominations with seven each. Both of them are nominated for “Best Collaboration,” “Viewer’s Choice Award,” and “Album of the Year” for their hit albums Good News and Blame it on Baby. Cardi B and Drake are tied for the second most nominations at 5 each, with Anderson .Paak, Bruno Mars, Chloe X Halle, and Chris Brown following with four nominations each.
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 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 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 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
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
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
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
