Drake leads at BET Awards with 12 nominations; Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Timberlake to perform

The BET Awards should be called the Drake Awards.

The rapper-singer is up for 12 trophies, including five nominations for video of the year, which has 10 nominees.

While 26-year-old Drake is mostly battling himself for the night’s top award, some of his friends (and enemies) will blaze the stage, including Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown, who is nominated for best male R&B artist. Minaj, who has won best female hip-hop artist for three consecutive years, is up for the honour again with little competition.

Other performers Sunday include Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, R. Kelly, India.Arie, Ciara and Robin Thicke.

Kendrick Lamar and 2 Chainz follow Drake with eight nominations each.

Chris Tucker will host the BET Awards, to air live from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.