The BET HIP-HOP AWARDS '09 Nominees Are In ...

The Hip-Hop Awards Voting Academy which is comprised of journalists, industry executives, and fans has nominated rapper, producer and style aficionado Kanye West for an impressive nine awards. Jay Z and Lil Wayne follow closely behind with seven nominations, and T.I. rounds things off with six nominations. Additionally, BET has added two new nomination categories to this year's show -- "Made-You-Look Award" (Best Hip Hop Style) which will go to the ultimate trendsetter and "Best Hip-Hop Blog Site," which will go to the online site that consistently keeps hip-hop fans in the know non-stop.

ABOUT ICE CUBE

Veteran rapper, Ice Cube pioneered the West Coast rap movement back in the late 80's. His originality and endless creativity helped pave the way for a new and enticing sound for hip hop as well as a successful career in film and philanthropy. The "I AM HIP-HOP" Icon Award recognizes those who have made notable contributions of outstanding significance to the hip-hop community. Ice Cube will join the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS' Hall of Fame as the fourth "I AM HIP-HOP" Icon Award honoree. Past recipients of this prestigious award include Grandmaster Flash, KRS ONE and Russell Simmons.

Known to be one of the most important figures in the rap game, Ice Cube began his career with the West Coast rap group N.W.A two decades ago. At the height of the group's success, Ice Cube broke away to start his own solo career. Soon after, Ice Cube became a major Hollywood force. He is the star, producer and catalyst for the "Friday" and "Barbershop" film franchises, all released through his own company, Cube Vision; and has become one of the most bankable actors thanks to his charismatic turns in box office hits such as "First Sunday," "Are We There Yet?," "Are We Done Yet?," "Boyz N The Hood" and "Three Kings" to name a few. Besides rap and film, in 2007 Ice Cube partnered with the prestigious McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota to establish an annual music scholarship, which annually awards one student who exemplifies creativity, talent and skill in developing a song based on the elements he provides them with. Also in 2007, Ice Cube and long time collaborator DJ Pooh announced the launch of UVNTV.com, the world's first real-time streaming television network online. Ice Cube's latest album "Raw Footage," made it to 1 on the Hip Hop/R & B charts, selling 69,234 units in its first week and 5 on overall Top 200 Album sales chart.

    The following are the nominees and categories for the 2009 BET HIP-HOP AWARDS:

    Best Hip-Hop Collabo
    Jim Jones & Ron Browz f/ Juelz Santana - Pop Champagne
    Lil Wayne f/ Bobby Valentino - Mrs. Officer
    Rick Ross f/ John Legend - Magnificent
    T.I. f/ Rihanna - Live Your Life
    Young Jeezy f/ Kanye West - Put On

    Best Live Performer
    Busta Rhymes
    Jay-Z
    Lil Wayne
    T.I.
    Kanye West

    Lyricist of the Year
    Drake
    Eminem
    Jay-Z
    Lil Wayne
    Kanye West

    Video Director of the Year
    Gil Green
    Anthony Mandler
    Mr. Boomtown
    Chris Robinson
    Hype Williams

    Producer of the Year
    Ron Browz
    Cool & Dre
    Tha Bizness
    T-Pain
    Kanye West

    Track of the Year
    Day "N" Nite - Kid Cudi
    D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune) - Jay-Z
    Every Girl - Young Money (Lil Wayne, Drake, Jae Mills, Gudda Gudda & Mack Maine)
    Live Your Life - T.I. f/ Rihanna
    Turn My Swag On - Soulja Boy Tell'em

    CD of the Year
    Eminem - Relapse
    Q-Tip - The Renaissance
    T.I. - Paper Trail
    Kanye West - 808 & Heartbreak
    Young Jeezy - The Recession

    Rookie of the Year
    B.O.B.
    Dorrough
    Drake
    Kid Cudi
    Wale

    Best Hip-Hop Video
    Dorrough - Ice Cream Paint Job
    Eminem - We Made You
    Jay-Z - D.O.A. (Death of Auto Tune)
    Kid Cudi - Day "N" Nite
    T.I. f/ Rihanna - Live Your Life

    MVP of the Year
    Drake
    Jay-Z
    Lil Wayne
    T.I.
    Kanye West

    DJ of the Year
    DJ AM
    DJ Drama
    DJ Khaled
    DJ Tony Neal
    DJ Greg Street

    Hustler of the Year
    Diddy
    Drake
    Jay-Z
    Lil Wayne
    Kanye West

    Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip-Hop Style)
    Jay-Z
    Kid Cudi
    Lil Wayne
    Soulja Boy Tell'em
    Kanye West

    Best Hip-Hop Blog Site
    All Hip Hop
    Nah Right
    SOHH
    This Is 50
    World Star Hip Hop

    People's Champ (Viewers Choice)
    Dorrough - Ice Cream Paint Job
    Fabolous f/ The-Dream - Throw It In The Bag
    Kid Cudi - Day "N" Nite
    Soulja Boy Tell'em - Turn My Swag On
    Kanye West f/ Young Jeezy - Amazing

This year, BET once again teams up with Cossette Productions, the famed producers of the GRAMMY Awards(R) and the seven record-setting BET AWARDS shows, to handle production of the telecast. Stephen G. Hill, BET President, Music and Programming, along with Lynne Harris-Taylor, BET Vice President of Specials, are executive producers of the telecast.

Tickets for THE BET HIP-HOP AWARDS '09 are by invite only and not available for purchase.

Interested media outlets, who would like to cover the BET HIP-HOP AWARDS '09 red carpet arrivals, should visit the BET PR website at www.bet.com/pr for important information on how to properly submit your media credentials request. The media credentials deadline to submit requests is Friday, October 2, 2009.

*All times ET/PT

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 98 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of businesses extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET Digital Networks - BET J, BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.