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Award season never seems to end for Kendrick Lamar. On Thursday, May 8, the BET Awards unveiled their 2025 nominations, and once again, Lamar finds himself in a familiar position—leading the pack. The “tv off” rapper has scored 10 nominations, more than any other artist.
This isn’t new territory for Lamar, who also topped nomination lists at the 66th Grammys and the upcoming 51st American Music Awards. But unlike those two ceremonies, where “Not Like Us” dominated the spotlight, his BET nominations reflect a broader scope of achievements. That diss track still plays a major part in his awards momentum, but the rest of his work is getting plenty of recognition too.
His latest album GNX is in the running for Album of the Year, facing off against Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s Some Sexy Songs 4 U, Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal, and several other heavyweight releases. With all of these projects making waves since their debut, it’s tough to predict which one will come out on top.
In the Best Collaboration category, Lamar has three entries—“luther” with SZA, Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” and the introspective “30 For 30” with a fellow TDE alum. The first two tracks also show up in the Viewer’s Choice category, joined by none other than “Not Like Us,” proving that fans still can’t get enough of Lamar’s sharp-edged bars and collaborative firepower.
The diss heard around the world also earned a nod for Video of the Year, while both Kendrick and Dave Free are recognized in the Video Director of the Year category. Lamar’s dominance rounds out with a nomination for Best Male Hip Hop Artist.
So the question remains: can anyone stop Kendrick Lamar’s awards streak? The short answer is probably not—unless he decides to take a break from releasing music, which doesn’t seem likely anytime soon. While Drake prepares his next solo project and Doechii builds anticipation for her debut album, Lamar remains the most consistent—and decorated—force in the game.
