Kendrick Lamar emerged as the biggest winner at the 2025 BET Awards, held on Monday, June 9 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Kendrick Lamar Wins Big
The rapper took home five major awards, including:
- Album of the Year – GNX
- Best Male Hip Hop Artist – for a record-breaking eighth time
- Best Collaboration – Luther with SZA
- Video of the Year – Not Like Us
- Video Director of the Year – alongside Dave Free
Kendrick is now one of only two artists — along with Beyoncé — to win Album of the Year at the BET Awards twice. He first won it in 2018 for DAMN. GNX beat out strong albums like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Chris Brown’s 11:11 Deluxe, and Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal.
Other Major Winners:
- SZA won Best Female R&B/Pop Artist for the third consecutive year, and also Best Collaboration with Kendrick for Luther. She joins Beyoncé and Alicia Keys as one of the few to win this category three times or more.
- Chris Brown took home Best Male R&B/Pop Artist for the eighth time, the most ever. He also won the Viewer’s Choice Award for his hit Residuals.
- Doechii won Best Female Hip Hop Artist — her first BET Award — and gave an emotional speech, showing support for protesters outside the venue highlighting immigration issues.
Special Honors:
- The song Luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA won Best Collaboration.
- The film Luther: Never Too Much, about soul legend Luther Vandross, won Best Movie — making it the second year in a row a music documentary won this category, following Bob Marley: One Love in 2024.
Highlights Recap:
- Album of the Year – GNX – Kendrick Lamar
- Best Male Hip Hop Artist – Kendrick Lamar
- Best Female Hip Hop Artist – Doechii
- Best Collaboration – Luther – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
- Best Female R&B/Pop Artist – SZA
- Best Male R&B/Pop Artist – Chris Brown
- Video of the Year – Not Like Us – Kendrick Lamar
- Best Movie – Luther: Never Too Much
- Viewer’s Choice Award – Residuals – Chris Brown
The night was a powerful showcase of Black excellence, musical innovation, and cultural pride — with Kendrick Lamar leading a new era of creative dominance.
