And the winner is Kendrick Lamar. The Compton, Calif. rapper took home the win for Best Male Hip Hop Artist award at the 2022 BET Awards on Sunday night.
The 22nd version of the yearly awards show went down Sunday night (June 26). Artists like Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars as Silk Sonic, plus Megan Thee Stallion, among others, were named winners as well. Following the show, K-Dot was revealed as the winner of this year's Best Male Hip Hop Artist award. Kendrick beat out a list of some of hip-hop's biggest stars including Drake, Future, J. Cole, Jack Harlow, Kanye West and Lil Baby.
Kendrick's credentials over the last year include the release of his new album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which dropped in May and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. At last year's ceremony, Lil Baby won Best Male Hip Hop Artist over DaBaby, Drake, Jack Harlow, J. Cole and Pop Smoke.
The 2022 BET Awards took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles and was hosted for the second year in a row by actress Taraji P. Henson. This year's show featured performances from Chance The Rapper, Roddy Ricch, Lizzo, Latto, Joey Bada$$, 2022 XXL Freshman Doechii and others.
Diddy was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which was also given to Queen Latifah in 2021. "Diddy has always been a pioneering force in our community, breaking barriers, achieving unprecedented heights, blazing new trails, and, in so doing, raising the bar for all of us," said BET CEO Scott Mills. "His virtuosity is matched only by his range–from music to media, culture, business, and philanthropy–Diddy has exemplified Black Excellence. We are delighted to have this opportunity to use our biggest stage to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of our friend Diddy."
Doja Cat led the pack for most nominations at this year's awards with six, including Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Best Female Hip Hop Artist, Album of the Year for Planet Her, Video of the Year for "Kiss Me More" featuring SZA, Best Collaboration for "Kiss Me More" and BET Her for "Woman." Both Drake and Ari Lennox had the second most with four each.