LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) - As has been the case with many awards shows over the last year,
Aaliyah and
Alicia Keys top the nominees' list for the second annual BET Awards, it was announced from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, Calif., on Tuesday (May 14).
Aaliyah led all nominees with four nods. The late R&B singer, whose tragic death last year is now the catalyst for a wrongful death lawsuit, received nominations for Best Female R&B Artist, Best Video of the Year and Viewer's Choice for "Rock the Boat," and Best Actress for her role in The Queen of the Damned.
Keys was close behind with three nominations for Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Artist, and Viewers' Choice for "Fallin'." Busta Rhymes, Craig David, Usher, Ashanti, Ja Rule, B2K, and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott followed the leading ladies of soul with two nods each.
Alicia Keys |
Ja Rule,
Lil' Bow Wow, Ashanti, and members of
Earth, Wind & Fire -- this year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipients -- were on hand to help announce the nominees for this year's event, scheduled to take place June 25 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, Calif.
All went smoothly with the exception of Ashanti's tardiness and pint-size rapper Bow Wow being on the receiving end of most of the afternoon's jokes. "You know what I was doing when I was your age?" asked show co-host and comedian Steve Harvey, blatantly ignoring the teleprompter. "Stealing bikes! You ain't never stolen a bike in your life ? just been purchasing shit! Little rich bastard!"
Lil' Bow Wow |
As for her own nomination for one of the year's biggest hits, "Always on Time" with
Ja Rule and Best New Artist,
Ashanti was still taking it all in. "It definitely feels unreal,"
Ashanti told the gathered press. "Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure that this is really happening. I've been blessed and am very thankful. I'm just ecstatic to be here with BET the first time out."
The second annual BET Awards, co-hosted by Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer, will air live on BET at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The awards honor not only achievements in music, but sports and films as well.
Here is the full list of nominees for the second annual BET Awards:
Lifetime Achievement Award
Earth, Wind & Fire
Humanitarian Award
Muhammad Ali
Best Female R&B Artist
Aaliyah
India.Arie
Mary J. Blige
Faith Evans
Alicia Keys
Best Male R&B Artist
Craig David
Jaheim
Maxwell
Musiq
Usher
Best Group
112
B2K
Destiny's Child
Jagged Edge
OutKast
Best New Artist
Ashanti
B2K
Craig David
Alicia Keys
Tweet
Best Female Hip-Hop Artist
Foxy Brown
Angie Martinez
Missy Elliott
Mystic
Trina
Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
Busta Rhymes
Ja Rule
Jay-Z
Ludacris
Nas
Best Gospel Artist
Yolanda Adams
Kurt Carr
Kirk Franklin
Fred Hammond
CeCe Winans
Best Actress
Aaliyah, The Queen of the Damned
Angela Bassett, The Score
Halle Berry, Monster's Ball
Vivica A. Fox, Kingdom Come and Two Can Play That Game
Jada Pinkett Smith, Ali and Kingdom Come
Best Actor
Morgan Freeman, Along Came a Spider
Eddie Murphy, Dr. Doolittle 2, Showtime, and Shrek
Will Smith, Ali
Chris Tucker, Rush Hour 2
Denzel Washington, Training Day and John Q
Best Female Athlete
Laila Ali
Vonetta Flowers
Lisa Leslie
Serena Williams
Venus Williams
Best Male Athlete
Kobe Bryant
Allen Iverson
Derek Jeter
Michael Jordan
Tiger Woods
Best Video of the Year
Aaliyah, "Rock the Boat"
Busta Rhymes featuring P. Diddy, "Pass the Courvosier"
Missy Elliott, "One Minute Man" featuring Ludacris and Trina
P. Diddy, "Bad Boy 4 Life" featuring Black Rob and Mark Curry
Usher, "U Got It Bad"
Viewers' Choice
Aaliyah, "Rock the Boat"
B2K, "Uh Huh"
Ja Rule featuring Ashanti, "Always on Time"
Lil' Bow Wow, "Take Ya Home"
Alicia Keys, "Fallin'"
