BET, the cable network that we still reluctantly look to for Black entertainment, is getting ready for it’s 17th annual BET Awards. The network just released the nominees for this year's honors, and I don’t think any of us are surprised by who racked up the most. This year’s seven nods brought Beyoncé’s total number of BET Award nominations to 61 (eight of which she received as a member of Destiny’s Child), solidifying her place as the most-nominated artist in the awards’ history, according to the Los Angeles Times. Having won 24 of those, Queen Bey is also the network’s most-awarded artist.
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Following the acclaim of Lemonade, Beyoncé is nominated for Album of the Year, Video of the Year (for “Sorry”; she won the award last year for “Formation,” which was released ahead of the album), the Coca-Cola Viewer’s Choice Award, Best Collaboration (for “Freedom” featuring Kendrick Lamar), Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, their FANdemonium award (where they’re putting the Beyhive up against Rihanna's Navy and all the college girls who like Drake), and Video Director of the Year. This may sound like a dream for fans of Baddie Bey, but it’s not.
The first issue is that Beyoncé is competing with her little sister Solange for four of these awards. I can already feel myself being torn in two different directions. A Seat at the Table is just as epic as Lemonade, in my opinion. The fact that one of them has to lose feels like one of the twisted riddles from the Saw movies. It’s just not fair.
And then there’s the fact that Beyoncé most likely won’t be there, anyway. It has been widely accepted that Beyoncé rarely attends the BET Awards. Prior to last year’s surprise performance by the singer — who brought Kendrick Lamar along for “Freedom” — Bey hadn’t shown her face at the ceremony since 2012. The running joke is that her mainstream success, coupled with BET’s occasional tendency to be trash, has put the awards show beneath her. But while it’s likely that Bey is going to skip this year’s event, too, we know that she has a pretty good excuse.
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The BET awards are filmed in Los Angeles at the end of June. As you know, Beyoncé currently has a biological condition called pregnant with twins. By the time cameras start rolling on the BET red carpet, Beyoncé will either be taking care of two very young Carter babies or too uncomfortable to walk. I guess Solange will have to represent for the Knowles clan this year, regardless which sister may happen to collect the prizes.