The 2023 BET Awards were handed out Sunday night, with Latto, Beyoncé, Coco Jones, Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor and Burna Boy among the winners announced during the live telecast.
The awards recognize the best performances of the year across music, TV, film and sports. The ceremony also celebrated 50 years of hip-hop throughout the show, which aired on BET from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Winners in only a fraction of the categories were announced during the broadcast.
The hostless show kicked off with a slew of performers, including opener Lil Uzi Vert as well as hip-hop pioneers The Sugarhill Gang, who performed their seminal “Rapper’s Delight.” It also featured a tribute to the late Biz Markie with his “Just a Friend.” Other memorable moments included tributes to Tupac Shakur and Takeoff (the latter by his Migos bandmates Quavo and Offset) as well as a performance of “Regulate” by Warren G. Later, Tyga hit the stage to perform “Rack City.” The show also included a lifetime achievement tribute to Busta Rhymes, who performed a medley of his hits toward the end of the broadcast, followed by an all-star tribute to hip-hop.
oco Jones took the stage to perform not long after being named best new artist. Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor won video director of the year, and her mom, who accepted on her behalf, made a video call to her daughter from the stage so that she could accept remotely. Beyoncé won the BET Her and Viewer’s Choice awards but was not present to accept as she’s on tour.
Before the cast of BET’s Sistas presented the award for best female hip-hop artist to Latto, they expressed their support for the Writers Guild of America amid its ongoing strike as they seek a new deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Heading into the show, Drake led the nominees with seven, followed by GloRilla with six and 21 Savage and Lizzo with five each. Beyoncé, Burna Boy, Chris Brown, Ice Spice and SZA landed four nods apiece. The nominations were selected by the BET Voting Academy, a group of entertainment professionals and influencers in the fields of music, media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations and creative arts.
A full list of winners follows.
Album of the Year (TIE)
ANYWAYS, LIFE’S GREAT — GLORILLA
BREEZY — CHRIS BROWN
GOD DID — DJ KHALED
HER LOSS — DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE
MR. MORALE & THE BIG STEPPERS — KENDRICK LAMAR
RENAISSANCE — BEYONCÉ (WINNER)
SOS — SZA (WINNER)
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
ARI LENNOX
BEYONCÉ
COCO JONES
H.E.R.
LIZZO
SZA (WINNER)
TEMS
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist (TIE)
BLXST
BRENT FAIYAZ
BURNA BOY
CHRIS BROWN (WINNER)
DRAKE
THE WEEKND
USHER (WINNER)
Best Group
CITY GIRLS
DRAKE & 21 SAVAGE (WINNER)
DVSN
FLO
MAVERICK CITY MUSIC & KIRK FRANKLIN
QUAVO & TAKEOFF
WANMOR
Best Collaboration
BIG ENERGY (REMIX) — LATTO & MARIAH CAREY FEAT. DJ KHALED
BOY’S A LIAR PT. 2 — PINKPANTHERESS & ICE SPICE
CALL ME EVERY DAY — CHRIS BROWN FEAT. WIZKID
CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP — KING COMBS FEAT. KODAK BLACK
CREEPIN’ — METRO BOOMIN, THE WEEKND & 21 SAVAGE
F.N.F. (LET’S GO) — HITKIDD & GLORILLA
TOMORROW 2 — GLORILLA & CARDI B
WAIT FOR U — FUTURE FEAT. DRAKE & TEMS (WINNER)
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
CARDI B
COI LERAY
GLORILLA
ICE SPICE
LATTO (WINNER)
MEGAN THEE STALLION
NICKI MINAJ
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
21 SAVAGE
DRAKE
FUTURE
J. COLE
JACK HARLOW
KENDRICK LAMAR (WINNER)
LIL BABY
Video of the Year
WE (WARM EMBRACE) — CHRIS BROWN
2 MILLION UP — PEEZY, JEEZY & REAL BOSTON RICHEY FEAT. ROB49
ABOUT DAMN TIME — LIZZO
BAD HABIT — STEVE LACY
FIRST CLASS — JACK HARLOW
KILL BILL — SZA (WINNER)
TOMORROW 2 — GLORILLA & CARDI B
Video Director of the Year
A$AP ROCKY FOR AWGE
BENNY BOOM
BURNA BOY
COLE BENNETT
DAVE FREE & KENDRICK LAMAR
DIRECTOR X
TEYANA “SPIKE TEY” TAYLOR (WINNER)
Best New Artist
AMBRÉ
COCO JONES (WINNER)
DOECHII
FLO
GLORILLA
ICE SPICE
LOLA BROOKE
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
BLESS ME — MAVERICK CITY MUSIC & KIRK FRANKLIN (WINNER)
FINISHED (LIVE) — TAMELA MANN
I’VE GOT JOY — CECE WINANS
KINGDOM — MAVERICK CITY MUSIC & KIRK FRANKLIN FEAT. NAOMI RAINE & CHANDLER MOORE
NEW — TYE TRIBBETT
ONE MOMENT FROM GLORY — YOLANDA ADAMS
THE BETTER BENEDICTION (PT.2) — PJ MORTON FEAT. LISA KNOWLES-SMITH, LE’ANDRIA JOHNSON, KEKE WYATT, KIERRA SHEARD & TASHA COBBS LEONARD
Viewer’s Choice Award
ABOUT DAMN TIME — LIZZO
BREAK MY SOUL — BEYONCÉ (WINNER)
FIRST CLASS — JACK HARLOW
JIMMY COOKS DRAKE FEAT — 21 SAVAGE
KILL BILL — SZA
LAST LAST — BURNA BOY
SUPER FREAKY GIRL — NICKI MINAJ
WAIT FOR U — FUTURE FEAT. DRAKE & TEMS
Best International Act
AYA NAKAMURA (FRANCE)
AYRA STARR (NIGERIA)
BURNA BOY (NIGERIA) (WINNER)
CENTRAL CEE (U.K.)
ELLA MAI (U.K.)
K.O (SOUTH AFRICA)
L7NNON (BRAZIL)
STORMZY (UK)
TIAKOLA (FRANCE)
UNCLE WAFFLES (SWAZILAND)
BET Her
ABOUT DAMN TIME — LIZZO
BOY’S A LIAR PT. 2 — PINKPANTHERESS & ICE SPICE
BREAK MY SOUL — BEYONCÉ (WINNER)
HER — MEGAN THEE STALLION
LIFT ME UP BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER – MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY -— RIHANNA & LUDWIG GÖRANSSON
PLAYERS — COI LERAY
SPECIAL — LIZZO
