The Hip Hop Enquirer’s editorial team has taken a look at the list of nominees for the 2015 BET Awards and we have handpicked this year’s winners based on a careful analysis of why those picked we believe should win. Award shows are generally nothing more than a popularity contest where the artist wins because of their fan base as opposed to the quality of their music. Well here at HHE, we are not playing favorites. We have decided to give our predictions about who we think should win and we are calling it how we see it!
BEST FEMALE R&B/POP ARTIST
Winner: K. Michelle
K. Michelle is our surprise pick for the win because she has been busy over the past year with the release of her sophomore album Anyone Wanna Buy A Heart and her recently successful My Twisted Mind Tour. She has the talent and the personality to take her all the way to the top and the evidence of that is clear with her efforts on the songs ‘Love Em All’ and ‘Can’t Raise a Man’ that elevated her into one of the most stunning R&B voices out right now.
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Runner Up: Rihanna
Rihanna’s efforts over the past year have helped her reach an international level of stardom. She has been teasing the “Rihanna Navy” supporters with new music ‘B**ch Better Have My Money,’ ‘FourFiveSeconds,’ and ‘American Oxygen’ leading up to her eighth studio album currently being produced by Kanye West. Rih Rih has also been active on the movie scene lending her voice to the lead role in the animated movie Home and also creating a conceptual album for the film.
BEST MALE R&B/POP ARTIST
Winner: Chris Brown
Chris Breezy takes the award for Best Male R&B/Pop Artist despite the legal and personal controversies surrounding Chris Brown he has remained one of the top R&B/Pop acts in the music business. Brown released his sixth solo album, X, in September of 2014 ad then followed almost immediately with Fan of a Fan: The Album in conjunction with Tyga.
Runner Up: John Legend
The runner up, John Legend, wrote and and recorded the song ‘Glory’ along with Common for the groundbreaking film Selma. The song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song as well as the Academy Award for Best Original Song. John Legend’s 2014 chart topping song ‘All of Me,’ which is a dedication to his wife, became the third best-selling song in 2014 in the US and the UK.
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BEST GROUP
Winner: Rae Sremmurd
SremmLife! The group Rae Sremmurd has been called the new Kid n’ Play which is a heavy comparison, but they are quickly making their own lane. With the hit songs ‘Throw Some Mo’, ‘No Type’, ‘No Flex Zone’ and ‘Up Like Trump,’ the duo have an ear for the party scene and show no signs of slowing down.
Runner Up: Migos
Migos are the runners up almost by default as outside of Jodeci they are the other only true group. Not discounting them they had a solid year with the release of Rich Nigga Timeline regardless of current legal troubles.
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BEST COLLABORATION
Winner: Chris Brown f/ Tyga and Lil Wayne – ‘Loyal’
What makes a great collaboration? When artist all get together and add something to the song to make it bigger than they could have individually. That is why we chose ‘Loyal’ by Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Tyga. It may not have been the original version but it is the best version. Tyga and Chris Brown’s chemistry is through the roof and Lil Wayne can naturally jump on any track. The subject matter is something all three seem to know something about when making music. No shade.
Runner-Up: Common and John Legend – ‘Glory’ (From the Motion Picture Selma)
‘Glory’ was the runner up because as great as the song is, the effort feels more driven by John Legend than Common so as a collaboration we feel it is not as equal a partnership. Try and imagine the song without Legend…just not the same at all, now if we do it with Common we could name a few rappers that may have been able to hold that spot down.
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BEST MALE HIP HOP ARTIST
Winner: J. Cole
Possibly the one award that is closest in parity. J.Cole , Kendrick and Drake are the three running male hip hop right now. All three dropped albums this year and all were critically acclaimed. With that said we choose J.Cole to win. The fact that the album had no features with very little promotion and it was almost a surprise release and still went platinum is incredible. By far his best album to date, J.Cole is in his prime and ready to seize the game.
Runner-Up: Kendrick Lamar
King Kendrick was our runner up because of his growth as an artist. To Pimp A Butterfly is a classic but maybe the level of expectations were lower for Cole therefore he looked more impressive in our eyes. No matter what we are not mad at either man winning as they both are deserving.
BEST FEMALE HIP HOP ARTIST
Winner: Nicki Minaj
While it’s no surprise that Nicki Minaj is our pick to win, let’s face it, no other female is holding a candle to her right now. Nicki is at the top of her game and its going to take a massive effort from another female just to be able to step in the ring with her. Sorry Azealia Banks, we know how you feel.
Runner-Up: Dej Loaf
Dej Loaf is our runner up this year because she has begun to establish her footing in the music game. With hit tracks such as ‘Try Me’ and ‘Me U and Hennesy,’ Dej Loaf is on her way to becoming a solid female artist. Look for her to blow up over the course of the next year.
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Winner: Nicki Minaj — ‘Anaconda’
Video of the year goes to Nicki Minaj for Anaconda. The viral sensation that is was with gifs and the anticipation that started with that now infamous pose. It is hard to get people excited for music videos these days and she had her Barbs and the fellas tuning in as it is close to 500 million views.
Runner-Up: Beyonce — ‘7/11’
7/11 was the runner up and only Beyonce could shoot a music video damn near off an iPhone and have it hit the way it did. It was a fun video but Nicki wins with ‘Anaconda.’
BEST NEW ARTIST
Winner: Sam Smith
Sam Smith has been racking up awards for his golden voice. The UK singer racked up four Grammy awards for his album, In The Lonely Hour, with his hit lead single ‘Stay With Me.’ Smith deserves this award for having three singles land in the top 10 of the Billboard top 100. The new artist from the UK has received 49 nominations for his music and has won 18 times so far.
Runner-Up: Rae Sremmurd
Rae Sremmurd earns the runner-up spot for their string of hit records they released along with their impressive debut album SremmLife. Something tells us that the young turn-up duo is just heating up and is nowhere near finished with their flexing.
BEST GOSPEL ARTIST
Winner: Lecrae
Lecrae is our winner because he delivered another top album this time around with Anomaly. The gospel MC made history by having the first album to top the Billboard 200 and the Gospel Albums chart. Lecrae lead the way in the gospel artist category with his hot single ‘All I Need is You.’
Runner-Up: Erica Cambell
Our runner-up is Erica Campbell who’s recent album Help has earned stellar reviews. The album featured a couple of hit records including ‘A Little More Jesus’ and the “trap-gospel” record titled ‘I Luh God’ which proves that she can hold her own with her style of music.
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson will take this award for her performance as “Cookie” on Empire. The show has been a major hit with all audiences and this not an award she is new to as Taraji has already won it three times before.
Runner-Up: Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington is our runner up for her role of “Olivia Pope” on Scandal. Kerry did not have a bad year but we think Taraji will win as she just captured the role of “Cookie” and makes you think how much of it really is an act.
BEST ACTOR
Winner: Terence Howard
Terrence Howard is our winner for his phenomenal acting in TV’s newest sensation Empire. In the show Howard plays the role of music mogul “Lucious Lyon.” The drama filled series had all of America tuned in at the edge of their seats every week for a chance to see what “Cookie” and “Lucious” were going to do next.
Runner-Up: Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson receives our pick for his role as “Dre Johnson” in the must see hit TV show Black-ish.
YOUNGSTARS AWARD
Winner: Mo’Ne Davis
Mo’Ne Davis takes the Young Stars award for making history and having so much character at her age. Being only 13, she became the first Black female to play in the Little League World Series and the first Little League player to appear on Sports Illustrated as a player. The year she had was astounding and she is going somewhere being a talented basketball player with dreams of going to U Conn.
Runner-Up: Zendaya
We chose Zendaya as the runner up and her star is not any lesser as the lead role on Disney’s K.C. Undercover and a flourishing singing career as well. If history is an indicator with that Disney machine behind her, we can assure she will be a frontrunner for this category next year
BEST MOVIE
Winner: Selma
The historical drama, Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches lead by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Bevel, John Lewis, and Hosea Williams. The star-studded film earned four Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture—Drama, Best Actor, Best Director, and won for Best Original Song. Selma also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song at the 87th Academy Awards.
Runner-Up: Beyond The Lights
Beyond the Lights is a romantic drama that stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker.The movie received popular reviews and was nominated for several awards including an Academy Award for Best Original Song. This movie could have easily fell into the typical chick-flick category but the fact that the love story between Kaz and Noni feels authentic and emotionally truthful is what bring the film to life. The attraction between the two is real and the intensity that the two characters struggle to handle can be felt by audience. The supporting characters, played by Minnie Driver and Danny Glover, played their roles well significantly adding to the drama of the movie. This film definitely shocked
SPORTSWOMAN OF THE YEAR
Winner: Serena Williams
Serena Williams is still sitting in her throne at the top of women’s tennis. She won the 2014 US open and the 2015 Australian further cementing herself as not only one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, but as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Runner-Up: Brittney Griner
Brittney Griner earned our nod for runner-up for her efforts in leading the Phoenix Mercury to a 2014 WNBA championship in just her second year in the league. Griner also lead the WNBA in blocks per game for the second straight year as she earned WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Griner is also a 2x All-Star in the league. All eyes will be on Griner to see how she will bounce back from her 7 game suspension for the domestic violence dispute between her and her then fiance Glory Johnson, who is a member of the Tulsa Shock.
SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR
Winner: Stephen Curry
“Steph Curry with the shot boy”. Once you become a quoted Drake bar you are officially a pop culture figure. But the Drake shout out is not Curry’s only merit. This season Curry was on fire breaking down some of the NBA’s most elite (RIP to Chris Paul’s ankles) and making the most 3-point field goals ever in an NBA season. He won the NBA’s MVP award and is currently playing in the Western Conference Finals for a chance to become an NBA champion.
Runner-Up: Marshawn Lynch
Beast Mode, Marshawn Lynch, is the runner up for what he did on the field as well as off of it. On the field he was one of the best running backs in the game being the centerpiece of the Seattle Seahawk offense. Off of it, Marshawn was the most entertaining athlete with his one word interviews. Lynch may have been our winner if the Pete Carroll did not make one of the most questionable calls in sports history. Not giving it to Lynch on the one yard line cost him and the team a second straight Super Bowl ring.
COCA-COLA VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARD
Winner: Beyonce – ‘7/11’
The viral video is easily a viewer’s choice award winner. The video was fun and quickly became a turn-up anthem for women around the country.
Runner-Up: The Weeknd — ‘Earned It’ (From the 50 Shades of Grey Soundtrack)
The runner-up for this category belong to ‘Earned It’ by The Weeknd. The NSFW video is apprioately themed and very sexy for the lead single of the film 50 Shades of Grey.
CENTRIC AWARD
Winner: Sam Smith f/ Mary J. Blige — ‘Stay With Me’
The BET Centric Award was designed to recognize neo soul and traditional R&B, as over the last few years it has become more alternative as they recognize the videos as well. With that criterion, we think Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige walk away with the award for “Stay With Me”.
Runner-Up: Mark Ronson f/ Bruno Mars — ‘Uptown Funk’
“Uptown Funk” is our runner up as you cannot go anywhere without hearing it and it is the alternative record that usually wins big but ‘Stay With Me’ is just too powerful of a record.
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT: AFRICA
Winner: AKA
South Africa’s hottest rapper earns our pick for the winner of this category. The Cape Town rapper released his second studio album, Levels, and has opened for some of the top American hip hop stars in their South African tours including Kanye West, 2 Chainz, Kendrick Lamar and more.
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACT: UK
Winner: MNEK
After doing our research on the international acts from the UK, we came away impressed with Mnek and think he should win this award. At age 20, this guy is just too impressive and a true artist, already working with acts like Madonna and fellow UK artists like Tinie Tempah and Kylie Minogue. We recommend listening to ‘In the Clouds’ if you want to get listen to something from him to familiarize yourself.
Please remember to check back on BET Awards night to see how close we came to picking all of the winners!
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