Kendrick Lamar Sets Records at BET Hip-Hop Awards

Tuesday night (October 10), BET aired their annual Hip-Hop Awards, which originally took place on October 3 in Atlanta. Coming off the summer 2022 release of his most recent album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar took home several trophies at the ceremony, as he surpassed a few records for the BET Hip-Hop Awards in the process.

Winning in each category he was nominated for, Lamar took home the awards for Hip-Hop Artist of the Year, Lyricist of the Year, Best Live Performer, and Video Director of the Year. For the Hip-Hop Artist of the Year category, he beat out competitors like 21 Savage, Burna Boy, Cardi B, Drake, GloRilla, J. Cole, and Lil Uzi Vert. This is now the third time he’s won this award, the most ever.

For the Lyricist of the Year category, he knocked off 21 Savage, André 3000, Burna Boy, Cardi B, Conway The Machine, Drake, and J. Cole. This is now the ninth time he’s received this honor, extending the record he already held.

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For the Best Live Performer category, he edged out Burna Boy, Busta Rhymes, Cardi B, Coi Leray, DaBaby, Drake, and Megan Thee Stallion. Tying Kanye West and Jay-Z for the record, this is now the fourth time he’s won this award.

And lastly, for Video Director of the Year, which he won alongside his manager Dave Free, he beat Anderson .Paak, Cole Bennett, Colin Tilley, DaBaby & Reel Goats, Dave Meyers, and Travis Scott. This is now the second year in a row he and Free have won the award, the first time it has been won consecutively since 2012.

Ultimately, this is just the latest of several crowning achievements for Lamar and his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers LP. Earlier this year, he was not only nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys, but he also won the award for Best Rap Album. Additionally, he won two more Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “The Heart Part 5,” a promotional single he dropped weeks before MM&TBS, using it as a bonus track later on.

(Photo by Santiago Bluguermann/Getty Images)