The 2025 BET Awards, held at the iconic Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and hosted again by the irrepressible Kevin Hart, delivered a night of unforgettable triumphs, heartfelt tributes, and historic milestones.
Kendrick Lamar emerged as the undisputed king of the evening, sweeping five awards—including Album of the Year for GNX, Best Male Hip Hop Artist for a record eighth time, and Video of the Year for “Not Like Us”—out of a staggering ten nominations. His dominant night not only solidified his legacy as a generational force but also marked only the second time an artist has twice claimed Album of the Year honors, a feat he now shares with Beyoncé.
Alongside Lamar, SZA and Chris Brown continued their reign as R&B royalty. SZA secured Best Female R&B/Pop Artist for the third year running, tying Alicia Keys and trailing only Beyoncé, and shared the Best Collaboration prize with Lamar for their smash “Luther,” a touching nod to the late Luther Vandross.
Meanwhile, Chris Brown extended his own record as Best Male R&B/Pop Artist, also winning the Viewer’s Choice Award for “Residuals.” The night also saw Doechii break through to claim Best Female Hip Hop Artist, using her platform to deliver a powerful speech in support of protestors outside the venue.
Despite high hopes and multiple nominations, Drake left empty-handed, making for one of the night’s most talked-about surprises. From electrifying performances to moving tributes for legends like Quincy Jones, Angie Stone and Roberta Flack, the 2025 BET Awards celebrated both the influence of Black culture and the rising stars shaping its future.
For the full list of 2025 BET Awards winners and all the night’s standout moments, keep reading below.
Album of the Year
- $ome $exy $ongs 4 U — Drake & Partynextdoor
- 11:11 Deluxe — Chris Brown
- Alligator Bites Never Heal — Doechii
- Cowboy Carter — Beyoncé
- Glorious — GloRilla
- WINNER: GNX — Kendrick Lamar
- Hurry Up Tomorrow — The Weeknd
- We Don’t Trust You — Future & Metro Boomin
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
- Ari Lennox
- Ayra Starr
- Coco Jones
- Kehlani
- Muni Long
- Summer Walker
- WINNER: SZA
- Victoria Monét
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
- Bruno Mars
- WINNER: Chris Brown
- Drake
- Fridayy
- Leon Thomas
- Teddy Swims
- The Weeknd
- Usher
Best Group
- 41
- Common & Pete Rock
- Drake & Partynextdoor
- Flo
- WINNER: Future & Metro Boomin
- Jacquees & Dej Loaf
- Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist
- Maverick City Music
Best Collaboration
- “30 For 30” — SZA feat. Kendrick Lamar
- “Alter Ego” — Doechii feat. JT
- “Are You Even Real” — Teddy Swims feat. Giv?on
- “Beckham” — Dee Billz feat. Kyle Richh, Kai Swervo, KJ Swervo
- Bless — Lil Wayne, Wheezy & Young Thug
- “Like That” — Future & Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar
- WINNER: “Luther” — Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- “Sticky” — Tyler, The Creator feat. GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne
- “Timeless” — The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
- Cardi B
- WINNER: Doechii
- Doja Cat
- GloRilla
- Latto
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Nicki Minaj
- Rapsody
- Sexyy Red
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
- BigXthaPlug
- Bossman DLow
- Burna Boy
- Drake
- Future
- WINNER: Kendrick Lamar
- Key Glock
- Lil Wayne
- Tyler, The Creator
Video of the Year
- “3AM in Tokeyo” — Key Glock
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey
- “After Hours” — Kehlani
- “Denial Is a River” — Doechii
- “Family Matters” — Drake
- WINNER: “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
- “Timeless” — The Weeknd feat. Playboi Carti
- “Type Shit” — Future, Metro Boomin, Travis Scott & Playboi Carti
Video Director of the Year
- Anderson .Paak
- B Pace Productions & Jacquees
- Benny Boom
- Cactus Jack
- Cole Bennett
- WINNER: Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
- Dave Meyers
- Foggieraw
- Tyler, The Creator
Best New Artist
- 41
- Ayra Starr
- BigXthaPlug
- BossMan Dlow
- Dee Billz
- WINNER: Leon Thomas
- October London
- Shaboozey
- Teddy Swims
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
- “A God (There Is)” — Common & Pete Rock feat. Jennifer Hudson
- “Amen” — Pastor Mike Jr.
- “Better Days” — Fridayy
- “Church Doors” — Yolanda Adams feat. Sir The Baptist & Donald Lawrence (Terry Hunter Remix)
- “Constant” — Maverick City Music, Jordin Sparks, Chandler Moore & Anthony Gargiula
- “Deserve to Win” — Tamela Mann
- “Faith” — Rapsody
- WINNER: “Rain Down on Me” — GloRilla feat. Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music
Viewer’s Choice Award
- WINNER: “Residuals” — Chris Brown
- “Denial Is a River” — Doechii
- “Nokia” — Drake
- “Like That” — Future & Metro Boomin feat. Kendrick Lamar
- “TGIF” — GloRilla
- “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar
- “Luther” — Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- “Brokey” — Latto
Best International Act
- Any Gabrielly (Brazil)
- WINNNER: Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
- Basky (UK)
- Black Sherif (Ghana)
- Ezra Collective (UK)
- Joé Dwèt Filé (France)
- MC Luanna (Brazil)
- Rema (Nigeria)
- SDM (France)
- Tyla (South Africa)
- Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)
- Best New International Act
- Abigail Chams (Tanzania)
- Ajulicosta (Brazil)
- Amabbi (Brazil)
- Dlala Thukzin (South Africa)
- Dr Yaro (France)
- KWN (UK)
- Maglera Doe Boy (South Africa)
- Merveille (France)
- Odeal (UK)
- Shallipopi (Nigeria)
- TxC (South Africa)
BET Her
- “Beautiful People” — Mary J. Blige
- “Blackbiird” — Beyonce feat. Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy & Reyna Roberts
- “Bloom” — Doechii
- “Burning” — Tems
- “Defying Gravity” — Cynthia Erivo feat. Ariana Grande
- WINNER: “Heart of a Woman” — Summer Walker
- “Hold On” — Tems
- “In My Bag” — Flo & GloRilla
Best Movie
- Bad Boys: Ride or Die
- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
- WINNER: Luther: Never Too Much
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- One of Them Days
- Rebel Ridge
- The Piano Lesson
- The Six Triple Eight
Best Actor
- Aaron Pierce
- Aldis Hodge
- Anthony Mackie
- Colman Domingo
- WINNER: Denzel Washington
- Jamie Foxx
- Joey Bada$$
- Kevin Hart
- Sterling K. Brown
- Will Smith
Best Actress
- Andra Day
- Angela Bassett
- Coco Jones
- WINNER: Cynthia Erivo
- Keke Palmer
- Kerry Washington
- Quinta Brunson
- Viola Davis
- Zendaya
Young Stars Award
- Akira Akbar
- WINNER: Blue Ivy Carter
- Graceyn “Gracie” Hollingsworth
- Heiress Harris
- Melody Hurd
- Thaddeus J. Mixson
- Tyrik Johnson
- VanVan
Sportswoman of the Year Award
- A’ja Wilson
- WINNER: Angel Reese
- Claressa Shields
- Coco Gauff
- Dawn Staley
- Flau’jae Johnson
- Juju Watkins
- Sha’Carri Richardson
- Simone Biles
Sportsman of the Year
- Aaron Judge
- Anthony Edwards
- Deion Sanders
- WINNER: Jalen Hurts
- Jayson Tatum
- LeBron James
- Saquon Barkley
- Stephen Curry
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