2016 BET Award Nominees are In: Drake, Rihanna and Beyonce top the list

buzzz worthy. . .

DRAKE DOMINATES WITH NINE NOMINATIONS WHILE BEYONCÉ AND RIHANNA FOLLOW WITH FIVE EACH

New York, NY – BET Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B sted NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), have announced the nominations for the 2016 "BET Awards," taking place at Microsoft Theater on Sunday, June 26. This year’s broadcast marks 16 years of spectacular performances, must-see moments, outstanding talent, and exquisite music: from Alicia Keys performing during the Prince Lifetime Achievement Award tribute and Michael Jackson taking the stage with James Brown to Beyoncé catering to Terrence Howard and the reuniting of The Fugees, the “BET Awards” has set the standard for can’t miss specials.

Drake leads the list of entertainers with an impressive nine nominations including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ for his hit “Where Ya At” with fellow hip hop artist Future. Beyoncé and Rihanna follow with five nods each. Beyoncé is nominated for top nods of the night including ‘Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Best Collaboration’ for “Feeling Myself” with Nicki Minaj. Rihanna is in the running for awards including ‘Best Female R&B/Pop Artist,’ ‘Video of the Year,’ and ‘Best Collaboration,’ for “Work” featuring Drake. Other nominees include newcomer Bryson Tiller who is up for four awards including ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist.’ Chris Brown is nominated for the same number including ‘Best Male R&B/Pop Artist’ and ‘Video Director of the Year.’  Future could also walk away with four awards including ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist’ and the ‘Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award.’

For the first time ever, BET has enlisted renowned choreographer Will “WilldaBeast” Adams to create an exclusive, high energy video exclusively announcing three of the categories. Alongside his choreography partner Janelle Ginestra, a special compilation has been produced with clips of songs honoring artists nominated for ‘Best Collaboration,’ ‘Best Male Hip Hop Artist,’ and ‘Best Female Hip Hop Artist.’ Dancers and friends from WilldaBeast’s ImmaBEAST dance company are featured in the video which can be viewed here. The video has over sixteen pieces of choreography including special appearances by some of the biggest names in dance including China Taylor, Taylor Hatala, and even a cameo from “Black-ish” star Miles Brown.

BET Networks recognizes artists, entertainers, and athletes across over 20 categories with the 2016 "BET Awards" nominations. The nominations are selected by BET’s Voting Academy, which is comprised of fans and an esteemed group of entertainment professionals in the fields of television, film, music, social media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations, and the creative arts.

“These nominees represent depth and diversity in achievement over the past year and we look forward to recognizing them next month,” said Stephen Hill, BET’s President of Programming. “This show will be innovative and special; in addition to celebrating the best in entertainment, we’ll also spend time throughout the show remembering Prince as only BET can. You can count on memorable performances and moments in honor of a true legend.”

The complete list of nominees for the 2016 "BET Awards" are:

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
ADELE
ANDRA DAY
BEYONCÉ
K. MICHELLE
RIHANNA

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
BRYSON TILLER
CHRIS BROWN
JEREMIH
THE WEEKND
TYRESE

Best Group
2 CHAINZ & LIL WAYNE
DRAKE & FUTURE
PUFF DADDY & THE FAMILY
RAE SREMMURD
THE INTERNET

Best Collaboration
BIG SEAN FT. CHRIS BROWN & TY DOLLA $IGN - PLAY NO GAMES
BIG SEAN FT. KANYE WEST & JOHN LEGEND - ONE MAN CAN CHANGE THE WORLD  
FUTURE FT. DRAKE - WHERE YA AT                                                    
NICKI MINAJ FT. BEYONCÉ - FEELING MYSELF
RIHANNA FT. DRAKE - WORK

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
DRAKE
FETTY WAP
FUTURE
J. COLE
KANYE WEST
KENDRICK LAMAR

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
DEJ LOAF
LIL KIM
MISSY ELLIOTT
NICKI MINAJ
REMY MA

Video of the Year
BEYONCÉ - FORMATION
BRYSON TILLER - DON'T                                                            
DRAKE - HOTLINE BLING
KENDRICK LAMAR - ALRIGHT                                                               
RIHANNA FT. DRAKE  - WORK

Video Director of the Year
BENNY BOOM
CHRIS BROWN
COLIN TILLEY & THE LITTLE HOMIES
DIRECTOR X
HYPE WILLIAMS

Best New Artist
ALESSIA CARA
ANDRA DAY
BRYSON TILLER
KEHLANI
TORY LANEZ

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
ANTHONY BROWN & GROUP THERAPY
ERICA CAMPBELL
KIRK FRANKLIN
LECRAE
TAMELA MANN
TASHA COBBS

Best Actress
GABRIELLE UNION
KERRY WASHINGTON
TARAJI P. HENSON
TRACEE ELLIS ROSS
VIOLA DAVIS

Best Actor
ANTHONY ANDERSON
COURTNEY B. VANCE
IDRIS ELBA
MICHAEL B. JORDAN
O'SHEA JACKSON JR.

YoungStars Award
AMANDLA STENBERG
QUVENZHANÉ WALLIS
SILENTÓ
WILLOW SMITH
YARA SHAHIDI

Best Movie
BEASTS OF NO NATION
CONCUSSION
CREED
DOPE
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON

Sportswoman of the Year
CHEYENNE WOODS
GABRIELLE DOUGLAS
SERENA WILLIAMS
SKYLAR DIGGINS
VENUS WILLIAMS

Sportsman of the Year
CAM NEWTON
KOBE BRYANT
LEBRON JAMES
ODELL BECKHAM JR.
STEPHEN CURRY

Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award
BEYONCÉ – FORMATION
BRYSON TILLER – DON’T
CHRIS BROWN – BACK TO SLEEP
DRAKE – HOTLINE BLING
FUTURE FT. DRAKE – WHERE YA AT
RIHANNA FT. DRAKE – WORK

Centric Award
ANDRA DAY - RISE UP
BEYONCÉ – FORMATION
K. MICHELLE – NOT A LITTLE BIT
RIHANNA - BBHMM
THE INTERNET - UNDER CONTROL

Best International Act Africa
AKA (SOUTH AFRICA)
BLACK COFFEE (SOUTH AFRICA)
CASSPER NYOVEST (SOUTH AFRICA)
DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA)
MZVEE (Ghana)
SERGE BEYNAUD (COTE D’IVOIRE) 
WIZKID (NIGERIA)
YEMI ALADE (NIGERIA)

Best International Act UK
KANO
KREPT & KONAN
LIANNE LA HAVAS
SKEPTA
STORMZY
TINIE TEMPAH

The 2016 “BET Awards” will premiere around the world on BET’s international network. It will air in the UK on Tuesday, June 28th at 9:00pm BST, in Africa on Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00pm CAT, and in France on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00pm CEST.

Stephen G. Hill, BET’s President of Programming, Connie Orlando, BET’s Senior Vice President of Music and Specials, Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive Producers for the “BET Awards” along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.