By Charles Mgbolu
The BET Entertainment Hip Hop Awards nominations have been announced, with African acts featuring prominently.
Black Sherif from Ghana was nominated in the Best International Flow category and will compete against nine other rappers for the award.
Three of his competitors are Africans: AKA and K.O. from South Africa and Sampa the Great from Zimbabwe.
AKA was tragically gunned down in Durban, South Africa, in February in a crime that police have named a ‘targeted killing.’
The other nominees are Gazo (France), Central Cee (UK), J Hus (UK), Major Rd (Brazil), Ninho (France), and Tasha & Tracie (Brazil).
Nigeria’s Burna Boy has also been nominated in the hotly contested Hip Hop Artist of the Year category, slugging it out with American hip-hop heavyweights such as Drake and DJ Khalid.
Overall, Drake leads the nominations count with nine mentions, including Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Live Performer.
Drake is followed on the leaderboard by Burna Boy and DJ Khalid, with seven nominations each. Five women rappers rank among the most nominated, with Cardi B followed by Leray, GloRilla, Latto, and Megan Thee Stallion.
The show will be recorded in Atlanta on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
