Lauryn Hill Gets Her Crown as the BET Awards Return
The BET Awards return to the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 28, with the comedian Druski hosting for the first time. Cardi B leads the field with six nominations, including Album of the Year for AM I THE DRAMA?, Best Female Hip Hop Artist, and the new Fashion Vanguard Award. Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist follow with five apiece. The competitive winners are decided on the night, so treat the trophies as undecided. The honorees are not.
The headline honor goes to Lauryn Hill, who receives the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award. Nearly thirty years after The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill rewrote what a hip hop and soul record could be, the recognition is overdue rather than early. Teyana Taylor takes Icon of the Year and the executive Sylvia Rhone receives the Ultimate Icon Award. The BET Awards have always been part competition, part family reunion, and the honorary slate this year leans hard into history, which is the show at its best.
The competitive categories tell their own story about where the music is. Cardi B's nominations span rapping, fashion and directing, a sign of how completely the modern pop star has to be a brand as much as an artist. Kendrick Lamar's continued presence, two landmark albums into his run as the most decorated rapper of his generation, keeps the bar where it should be. Whatever the envelopes say, the night is a reminder that the BET Awards still set the terms for a conversation the bigger ceremonies often get to late.
