At this year’s Billboard Music Awards Kendrick Lamar finds himself nominated for a total of 15 categories and has already laid claim to six of those titles all before the ceremony’s live broadcast.
In the non-televised portion of the show, it has already been announced that Kendrick earned the win for Top Streaming Songs Artist, Top Rap Artist, Top Rap Male Artist, Top Streaming Song for “Humble,” and Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Rap Album both for DAMN.
It already signals a strong showing for hip-hop tonight at the annual awards show and previews a lineup of performances slated to be delivered by the likes of Macklemore, Salt-N Pepe as they celebrate the 30th anniversary of being the first female hip-hop act to hit the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Pharrell as he hits the stage with Camila Cabello for the duo’s “Sangria Wine.”
Nicki Minaj was originally placed on the bill but had to back out when she missed her mandatory rehearsal for her anticipated appearance on the Season 43 finale of Saturday Night Live last night (May 19th). According to Nicki, though, the performance was well worth it as she delivered on performances of her “Chun-Li” and Playboi Carti’s “Poke It Out.”
The Billboard Music Awards kick off in Las Vegas’s MGM Grand at 8 PM EST on NBC this evening. Keep up with all the evening's winners here.