The BET Awards are approaching and the network has unveiled its nominations, with Kanye West leading the pack with 7.
Six of his seven nominations come from his Watch the Throne collaboration with Jay-Z. West competes for Video Director of the Year and Best Collaboration. Beating Jay by two nominations, the mentee surpassed the mentor.
Jay-Z shares his five nominations with Kanye West, demonstrating the impact of the Watch the Throne album in the rap community. Watch the Throne was one of the top-ranked albums by music critics and publications, selling 436,000 copies in its first week.
Jay Z also falls in line behind wife Beyonce. The pop queen earned the second highest number of nominations with six.
Jay-Z and Kanye are not nominated for Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, making room for Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy. This is Jeezy’s only nomination.
The BET Awards will air live July 1 from LA’s Shrine Auditorium. Actor and producer Samuel L. Jackson is set to host the show, introducing confirmed performers Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj.
