The 2025 BET Awards were just as much of a celebration for the new generation of artists as they were for the icons. You know an awards show is poppin’ when both the legends and the contemporary artists show up to celebrate and last night’s jam-packed four-hour telecast was filled some of the brightest rising stars in R&B and hip-hop today.

 

The big winner of Best New Artist went to my guy Leon Thomas who I happened to just feature on my column just last week. He’s had a manic year from the mainstream success of his single “MUTT” to demand of his new music being so high that he re-released the album of the same name with nine new tracks. Leon has this incredible R&B rocker vibe to him that I keep saying gives me a D’Angelo meets Lenny Kravitz energy. Leon’s incorporation of electric guitar in a song that is pretty soulful is fitting since both genres are deeply rooted in Blues and Gospel music - something that the Queen B continues to teach us with every act of her trilogy releases. He effortlessly blended his soulful R&B roots with a rock-infused electric guitar finale that tore the house down. R&B music has been in a sort of renaissance in the last few years and it’s because of artists like Leon who push boundaries and refuse to stay boxed in that the future of the genre is looking so bright. Leon has come a long way from his days co-starring with Ariana Grande on Victorious. Next stop, the Grammys.

 

 

 

 

 

Rap music and women historically maybe wasn’t the most obvious combination but in 2025 that couldn’t be farther from the truth as many of today’s most successful artists are female rappers. GloRilla and Doechii held it down for the female rap girls at last night’s ceremony and given that those are the two who truly blew up the most this year, it was their time to shine. GloRilla is coming up off a major year having released her debut album “Glorious” last October and owned the stage with a performance of her hits “Let Her Cook” and “Typa” with a little help from R&B veteran Keyshia Cole who also lit it up earlier in the evening. GloRilla has this bad bitch energy that only a true queen can carry. From the old school MJ “Smooth Criminal”-esque suit to the tap dancing, Glo is giving us full on pop performance with hard rap beats – how can you not love it?

 

 

Doechii on the other hand did not perform but she did win the award for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist making it her first-ever win at the BET Awards. Along with Leon, Doechii has had a 2025 for the history books – so much so that she beat out some of the biggest names in this category like Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj and Doja Cat. Doechii used the time to speak about the state of the US government and the ICE protests in Los Angeles. 

 

She has long been accused of being an industry plant online (whatever that means), but let last night’s speech be proof that this lady is standing on the things she believes in and is an artist for the people first and foremost. It’s a tough climate out there right now and people are angry, but when you lead with kindness and knowledge first you can’t lose. She may not have performed, but her appearance on that stage last night was one to remember.

 

 

Other rising stars who got their first taste of BET Awards shine are singers Elmiene and Ravyn Lenae who performed on the “BET Amplified” stage. From Elmiene’s haunting falsetto to Ravyn’s sultry siren-like performance of her viral smash “Love Me Not” which was written by Anderson. Paak, this year’s ceremony truly had something for everyone. They made a priority to evenly highlight both the more famous artists that we’ve come to know and the ones on the rise. Ravyn’s “Love Me Not” just hit the top 10 on Spotify’s streaming charts so this time next year, she may just be the new it girl. Only time will tell, but that’s the beauty of these award ceremonies – the power of time. 

As we saw with the AMAs, when you lean too much into nostalgia and leave the present day out, it makes for a dry show so I’m hoping that the success of this year’s BET Awards can be a lesson to all other telecasts that it is still possible for award shows to be awesome in the social media age – you may just have to try a little harder. 

Leon Thomas, Doechii, GloRilla, Keyshia Cole, Elmiene, and Ravyn Lenae were among the performers and attendees at the 2025 BET Awards on June 9, 2025.
Photo credits: Chelsea Lauren/ Rob Latour/ Shutterstock

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