Kendrick Lamar dominates the 2025 BET Awards with the most wins

Kendrick Lamar won big at the BET Awards with 5 wins, joining Beyoncé in rare “Album of the Year” milestone.

Kendrick Lamar continued his winning streak last night at the 2025 BET Awards. As stars gathered for “culture’s biggest night,” Lamar celebrated not one but five awards including “Album of the Year,” “Best Male Hip-Hop Artist,” “Best Collaboration” with SZA for their song “Luther,” “Video of the Year” for “Not Like US”  and “Video Director of the Year” with his creative collaborator Dave Free. 

In addition to walking away with the most awards for the evening, Lamar made history with his best album of the year win. The “Not Like Us” rapper now joins Beyoncé in being one of the only artists to win twice in that category. In 2018, he won “Album of the Year” for his Pulitzer Prize-wining project “Damn.”

The evening was filled with wins for artists like SZA, Chris Brown, Doechii, and more. Doechii won her first BET Award for “Best Female Hip-Hop Artist,” and she took a moment to condemn President Trump’s immigration crackdowns and stand in solidarity with protesters and oppressed communities. 

In between Glo’ Rilla winning “Best Gospel/Inspirational Award” and Leon Thomas winning “Best New Artist,” stars like Lil Wayne, Teyana Taylor, and nostalgic performances from stars like Keyshia Cole, Mariah Carey, Ashanti, a B2K reunion filled out a night in celebration of Blackness.

Nostalgia and culture were the theme of the evening as the BET Award ceremony celebrated its 25th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the hit show “106&Park.”