Taraji P. Henson to Host 2021 BET Awards + Queen Latifah to receive Lifetime Achievement Award

Taraji P. Henson, the Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actor, filmmaker, and philanthropist will host the 2021 BET Awards, and Queen Latifah, the Grammy award-winning musician, critically acclaimed Golden Globe-winning, and Academy Award-nominated actor, will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement BET Award.

The BET awards 2021 will air LIVE, Monday 28 June on BETAfrica (DStv channel 129) at 01:00 WAT. You can also catch the repeat at 18:00 WAT on the same day.

“The 2021 BET Awards theme, The year of Black Women, is a celebration to honour trailblazing black women across the globe,” said Monde Twala, SVP at BET International. “Now in its twenty-first year, the BET AWARDS continues its reign as the platform to showcase black female excellence and shine a light on culture as the driving force for social change.”

“Black women have been essential drivers of change throughout history, from the political sphere to the cultural zeitgeist,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “The BET AWARDS is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we are looking forward to spotlighting and celebrating Black women during this year’s show, recognizing them for everything they’ve accomplished and applauding them for what’s to come.”

Taraji P. Henson recently concluded her famous role as “Cookie Lyon” on Fox’s hit musical drama “Empire“, for which she received three Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics’ Choice Award, and three BET Awards. She portrayed NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson in the Academy Award-nominated film “Hidden Figures” and provided the voice of “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2“.

In memory of her late father, she established the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018. The organization offers scholarships to African-American students majoring in mental health disciplines, provides mental health services to youth in urban schools, and strives to reduce recidivism among African-American men and women. Henson and her closest friend and foundation partner, Tracie Jade, recently co-hosted the Facebook Watch series “b” on mental health, for which they were nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.”

Queen Latifah will also be honoured with this year’s Lifetime Achievement BET Award at the BET Awards. Latifah has achieved tremendous success since beginning her career in Hollywood, and she was the first hip-hop artist to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She gained critical acclaim, industry recognition, and honours for her performances in the feature musical “Chicago“, as well as the cable films “Life Support” and “Bessie“, which she also produced.

Additionally, Latifah starred in the hit comedy “Girls Trip” and has also taken to the stage and small screen as the title character in the television musical, “The Wiz Live!“. Flavor Unit Entertainment, the production company owned and operated by Latifah and Shakim Compere, was behind the hit comedies, “Bringing Down the House“, “Beauty Shop” and “The Perfect Holiday“. Latifah currently stars in and is an executive producer on the CBS series reboot of “The Equalizer“, which quickly became TV’s #1 scripted series this year.

Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET will oversee The “BET Awards” 2021 and serve as Executive Producer along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

Voting for the 2021 BET AWARDS ‘Viewer’s Choice Award’ is now open here. BET.com/betawards is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year’s show.

The previously announced nominees for the “BET AWARDS” 2021 are:

BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT

• AYA NAKAMURA (FRANCE)
  BURNA BOY (NIGERIA)
• DIAMOND PLATNUMZ (TANZANIA)
• EMICIDA (BRAZIL)
• HEADIE ONE (UK)
• WIZKID (NIGERIA)
• YOUNG T & BUGSEY (UK)
• YOUSSOUPHA (FRANCE)

VIEWER’S CHOICE – BEST NEW INTERNATIONAL

• ELAINE (South Africa)
• ARLO PARKS (UK)
• BRAMSITO (France)
• BREE RUNWAY (UK)
• TEMS (Nigeria)
• MC DRICKA (Brazil)
• RONISIA (France)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• AFTER HOURS – THE WEEKND
• BLAME IT ON BABY – DABABY
• GOOD NEWS – MEGAN THEE STALLION
• HEAUX TALES – JAZMINE SULLIVAN
• KING’S DISEASE – NAS
• UNGODLY HOUR – CHLOE X HALLE

BEST COLLABORATION

• CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
• DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH – ROCKSTAR
• DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE – POPSTAR
• JACK HARLOW FT. DABABY, TORY LANEZ & LIL WAYNE – WHATS POPPIN (REMIX)
• MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. DABABY – CRY BABY
• POP SMOKE FT. LIL BABY & DABABY – FOR THE NIGHT

BEST FEMALE R&B / POP ARTIST

• BEYONCÉ
• H.E.R.
• JAZMINE SULLIVAN
• JHENÉ AIKO
• SUMMER WALKER
• SZA

BEST MALE R&B / POP ARTIST

• 6LACK
• ANDERSON .PAAK
• CHRIS BROWN
• GIVEON
• TANK
• THE WEEKND

BEST NEW ARTIST

• COI LERAY
• FLO MILLI
• GIVEON
• JACK HARLOW
• LATTO
• POOH SHIESTY

BEST GROUP

• 21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN
• CHLOE X HALLE
• CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG
• CITY GIRLS
• MIGOS
• SILK SONIC

BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST

• CARDI B
• COI LERAY
• DOJA CAT
• MEGAN THEE STALLION
• LATTO
• SAWEETIE

BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST

• DABABY
• DRAKE
• J. COLE
• JACK HARLOW
• LIL BABY
• POP SMOKE

DR. BOBBY JONES BEST GOSPEL/INSPIRATIONAL AWARD

• BEBE WINANS – IN JESUS NAME
• CECE WINANS – NEVER LOST
• H.E.R. – HOLD US TOGETHER
• KIRK FRANKLIN – STRONG GOD
• MARVIN SAPP – THANK YOU FOR IT ALL
• TAMELA MANN – TOUCH FROM YOU

BET HER AWARD

• ALICIA KEYS FT. KHALID – SO DONE
• BRANDY FT. CHANCE THE RAPPER – BABY MAMA
• BRI STEVES – ANTI QUEEN
• CHLOE X HALLE – BABY GIRL
• CIARA FT. ESTER DEAN – ROOTED
• SZA – GOOD DAYS

VIEWER’S CHOICE AWARD

• CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
• CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG – GO CRAZY
• DABABY FT. RODDY RICCH – ROCKSTAR
• DJ KHALED FT. DRAKE – POPSTAR
• DRAKE FT. LIL DURK – LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
• LIL BABY – THE BIGGER PICTURE
• MEGAN THEE STALLION FT. BEYONCÉ – SAVAGE (REMIX)
• SILK SONIC – LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

• CARDI B – UP
• CARDI B FT. MEGAN THEE STALLION – WAP
• CHLOE X HALLE – DO IT
• CHRIS BROWN & YOUNG THUG – GO CRAZY
• DRAKE FT. LIL DURK – LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
• SILK SONIC – LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN

VIDEO DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

• BENNY BOOM
• BRUNO MARS AND FLORENT DÉCHARD
• COLE BENNETT
• COLIN TILLEY
• DAVE MEYERS
• HYPE WILLIAMS

BEST MOVIE

• COMING 2 AMERICA
• JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
• MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
• ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…
• SOUL
• THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY

BEST ACTRESS

• ANDRA DAY
• ANGELA BASSETT
• ISSA RAE
• JURNEE SMOLLETT
• VIOLA DAVIS
• ZENDAYA

BEST ACTOR

• ALDIS HODGE
• CHADWICK BOSEMAN
• DAMSON IDRIS
• DANIEL KALUUYA
• EDDIE MURPHY
• LAKEITH STANFIELD

YOUNGSTARS AWARD

• ALEX R. HIBBERT
• ETHAN HUTCHISON
• LONNIE CHAVIS
• MARSAI MARTIN
• MICHAEL EPPS
• STORM REID

SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

• A’JA WILSON
• CANDACE PARKER
• CLARESSA SHIELDS
• NAOMI OSAKA
• SERENA WILLIAMS
• SKYLAR DIGGINS-SMITH

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD

• KYRIE IRVING
• LEBRON JAMES
• PATRICK MAHOMES
• RUSSELL WESTBROOK
• RUSSELL WILSON
• STEPHEN CURRY