The BET Awards have become a sloppy, uncoordinated mess more and more with each passing year. At least when promotion begins (their social media is garbage [Facebook features sloppy profile photos that make my creations look like the masterpieces from Klein&,
and its Twitter still has last years promotional photos.
At least Taraji is hosting again, so idiots wont know much is different] and on Tuesday (May 31) - while watching Celebrity Family Feud, an ad aired stating that it will air "nest Sunday" (whomever was in the control room at the time [whether placing the ads in or lording over the automatic swtches] should be fired like the dumb intern who published the post "while Nicki Minaj got dragged by her lace front" after Cardi B won a Grammy for Invasion of Privacy or some shit) and the nominations still piss me off.
I'll get to the major music awards later on. But first, some brief beats on everything else.
(looks at other categories)
Honestly nothing much to rage about. Just some of the same nominees all around in the sports and acting categories, with few newcomers.
For Sports, I wish all the nominees well... but prepare to lose to Serena and LeBron.
YoungStars Award
black•ish is ending, so why not give Marsai Martin this award for sympathy's sake (and maybe next year too, when her next TV show or movie role pops up just in time).
Acting
Interestingly, the acting categories now add specific projects that the actors are nominated for. I think I like this, because instead of choosing 5 or 6 random popular actors and actresses and calling it a day, the show whatever show or movie (some and like the Razzies). I hope this continues on.
Actor: Will Smith for King Richard (and naybe the film takes Best Movie too... and possibly because BET loves giving black men who put their hands on other people their largest platform)
Actress: Toss Up -- hard to say as all the women shined in their respective roles, but it wouldn't surprise me if JHUD took this one too to go along with Respect taking Best Movie.
Movie
I've seen only Summer of Soul and Space Jam: A New Legacy (don't judge me; the latter was during my summer job at a movie drive-in). But otherwise, not a bad list here. But I expect Respect to take the win because of BET promoting the hell out of at the last two shows and the Jennifer Hudson winning Lead Actress in a Motion Picture at this year's Image Awards. That or King Richard.
Video Director
I'd laugh my ass off if Beyoncé actually gets this one. Honestly, this category has no reason to exists if musical artists get a nom for doing something the actual directors do with actual experience. Otherwise, I don't mind anyone winning.
And now, the music categories.
Sure, I have a bias because I really dislike most of the artists featured, and in all my years of watching the BETAs, it's always a cycle of the same artists being gifted the same nominations (whether they dropped new hit music or not). While i should be happy Beyoncé isn't noticed this year, Drake, Nicki Minaj and especially the hobgoblin of popular music Chris Brown are. I'm... used to this.
BET Her Award
I want anyone but Doja Cat winning, but since she's the big flavor of the month (honestly I'm shocked BET was sleeping on her [like the drugged people she assaulted were sleeping on her... allegedly] until now. MTV were slobbering all over her the last two years), I know it's all hers.
Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel/ Inspiration Award
Marvin Sapp
Fred Hammond
Kelly Price
Tauren Wells
Elevation Workshop &
Maverick City Music
All such good gospel artists. So why the devil is Lil Baby nominated? Oh right; his song "We Win" features Kirk Franklin. And since they kicked off last years show with it, it won't shock me if they win with "We Win".
Hip-Hip
Male: I don't listen to any of these fucks, so nothing to read here.
Female: I don't listen to any of these fucks either, so nothing to read here.
R&B
I've heard of one dong by Yung Bleu. And honestly, not a best impression. He is a shitty singer and a (barely) tolerable rapper, so why is he nominated for Male R&B/Pop Artist?? And who was the braindead fuck who decided on this? Probably the same braindead fuck(s) who keeps giving Chris fucking Brown a spot in the same category!!
Yes, apparently, it's good to be Chris Brown -- at least when it comes to the BET Awards.
Brown got just one nomination this year - for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist. ONE. I'd be overjoyed for that or if it was for a more lower-tier category, but I haven't heard literally anything from him in the past few years (hit or no) since "Heat", but apparently being Chris Brown was enough for the Voting Academy to give him yet another nomination. And I'd bet everything I own that he'll win yet again, because they don't have the balls to make any of the other, better, highly talented artists who actually deserves it the victor.
They failed last year - when they should've given it to The Weeknd, Anderson .Paak, Giveon, 6LACK or even Tank (I STILL don't know why they nominated him of all people), and they failed in 2020 - when they should given it to the former two, Khalid or even Usher (but not Jacquees (he ain't all that). But no, they keep seeing him as the total package all other Male singer should aspire with this award. And the funniest part, it wasn't even announced on-air, but they put in online in a statement of winners. It seems even they aren't sure they made the right call. Weeknd should beg the Recording Academy to get back on their good graces, because he has no ally with the BET Awards Voting Academy. But do you know who should join him? Lil Nas X.
The man who birthed us big hits last year with "Montero (Call Me By Your Name" (which he performed last year), "Industry Baby" and "That's What I Want" got no love from the BET Awards this year. And he seemed like a lock too. But for whatever reason (he's gay, they don't accept #1 hits, he's a Pop Artist [despite Pop literally in two category titles], he's not Chris Brown), they just overlook him. And that makes no sense to me. Brown had no true hits on the Hot 100 in the last few years (one even on the Bubbling Under chart) and the R&B chart is slowly but surely rejecting him more and more (he's lucky Indigo hit-- I mean debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 Chart). But BET is still carrying water for him like the native African women at the start of Roots. It's been time to give up on him and go on to the next, but it seems they have no idea how to do that unless he dies or commits a major crime (although if/when he did get released in the latter case, they'd celebrate with a big, hyped performance as if nothing happened like the year following the incident or the year he sang "Loyal". Oh yeah, and he has a new album coming - two days before the show. Expect a performance and him to finally get yet another award on stage. Fuck me sideways with a rusty pipe.
Speaking of being fucked uncomfortably, why the hell is Doja Cat nominated for both female categories?? She sounds more of a rapper than a singer, anyway. It just seems like they're desperate to make up for lost time to catch up to the other awards shows (recently the Billboard Music Awards) by nominating in as many categories as possible to make sure she wins. Clever and idiotic all the same.
Best New Artist
I've only heard Mooney (Muni) Long and Tens (Tems) [via Wizkid"s outta-nowhere smash "Essence"], but I can't see either woman winning. Here's why.
Blung Yeu probably will have a great showing this year. For the past few years, whenever a new(-ish) artist gets noms in both Best New Artist and one of the main categories, there's a great chance they'll win BNA. So my guess is he'll be just like Giveon, Roddy Ricch, Lil Baby, SZA, Chance the Rapper in winning Best New Artist, because it's so damn obvious that any half-brained chode can figure it out, the Voting Academy are so damn easy to read like an open book.
Album
Certified Lover Boy was a Certified shitgibbon of an album (yet got an Album of the Year nod). Heaux Tales (last year's winner) was a damn great record about the experiences and frailties of the modern woman, but even though great new tracks are added, Mo' Tales: The Deluxe feels like they're cheating. Donda is the best of Ye's works in a long time. And both An Evening with Silk Sonic and H.E.R.'s Back of My Mind are beautifully crafted and performed R&B LPs. But like I mentioned the female categories, the Voting Academy is just screaming out to the high heavens that they are just fixing the show for Doja Cat, so I wouldn't be shocked if Planet Her wins (and puts the actually good albums in its dust- and jizz-covered craters.
Video of the Year
The narcissistic goober anthem of them all after I'm Too Sexy (which it samples), "Way 2 Sexy" got a Video of the Year nod, and because it's Drake, it'll probably win. That or Planet Her. Because fuck variety. Monotony is the way to go with this awards show.
There is a reason the BET Awards is seen as the most predictable and by-the-numbers awards ceremony in America. The same artists recognized, the same artists awarded. They make their favorites known, and they never even hide their biases. If you have a favorite artist, 50-50 chance they'll win it big or go home empty handed. In my case, it's the latter. Even if they put in a damn good show (...most of the time), the nominations always disappoint me. Like I get it, the artists I dislike should be represented, but having more eggs in their basket instead of there being some type of balance annoys me to no end. I would suggest the Voting Academy be blown up and refreshed, but I'm one person with a barely unsuccessful blog, so I have no lion in this fight. My lion (pretty much a pussycat named Josie) would get dogwalked by their behemoth. I'd want to say I want to stop watching and caring about the BET Awards, but I said this years ago and here we are. I'll be watching, because I'm a masochist -- and because I looove Taraji.