Nigerian music stars Tems, Wizkid, Asake, and Burna Boy have secured major nominations for the 2026 BET Awards, as officially announced by the organizers.
The annual event celebrating Black excellence and culture will take place on Sunday, June 28, 2026, at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles and will be hosted by comedian Druski.
The nominations reflect a massive year for cross-continental collaborations, with several artists shattering traditional category boundaries.
Tems leads the African contingent with three nominations.
The Grammy-winning singer is up for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, the BET Her Award for her song “First”, and the Viewers’ Choice Award for “Raindance”, her collaborative track with British rapper Dave.
Wizkid & Asake earned a historic nod in the Best Group category following their successful musical partnership, driven by their chart-topping collaborations and joint Real EP.
This milestone makes them the first contemporary African acts recognized in this category, further underlining the global rise and influence of Afrobeats and Nigerian music on the international stage.
They will compete against major American and British acts including Clipse, FLO, Nas & DJ Premier, French Montana & Max B, and Metro Boomin & DJ Spinz.
Burna Boy also received a nomination in the ‘Best Collaboration’ category for his appearance on Gunna’s track WGFT.
American rapper Cardi B leads this year’s nominations with six nods, while Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist secured five nominations each.
Below is the full list of major 2026 BET Awards nominees.
Album of the Year
AM I THE DRAMA? — Cardi B
DON’T TAP THE GLASS — Tyler, the Creator
everything is a lot. — Wale
HEARTS SOLD SEPARATELY — Mariah the Scientist
Let God Sort Em Out — Clipse
MUTT Deluxe: HEEL — Leon Thomas
The Fall-Off — J. Cole
The Romantic — Bruno Mars
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
Ari Lennox
Coco Jones
Ella Mai
Jill Scott
Kehlani
Mariah the Scientist
Olivia Dean
SZA
Tems
