Predicting the 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards winners

Nominees:

• 21 Savage - "A Lot" Feat. J. Cole
• Cardi B - "Money"
• City Girls - "Twerk" Feat. Cardi B
• DaBaby - "Suge"
• Meek Mill - "Going Bad" Feat. Drake
• Travis Scott - "Sicko Mode" Feat. Drake

Winner: Cardi B - "Money"

When Cardi B raps, "I was born to flex," in her hit song "Money," it's a lyric that shouldn't be taken lightly. In the video, not only does Cardi fill the scenes with bank vaults and strip clubs, but she also makes sure to showcase women as powerful and sexual beings. 

Nominees:

• Cardi B
• DaBaby
• Drake
• Megan Thee Stallion
• The Carters
• Travis Scott

Winner: Megan Thee Stallion

Houston native Megan Thee Stallion had everyone living their best lives and coining the sizzling season as a "Hot Girl Summer." She continues to turn up the heat, promoting her latest mixtape "Fever" and joined Meek Mill and Future on the Legendary Nights Tour. 

Nominees:

• Travis Scott - "Astroworld"
• Meek Mill - "Championships"
• Lizzo - "Cuz I Love You"
• DJ Khaled - "Father of Asahd"
• Tyler, The Creator - "Igor"
• Dreamville - "Revenge of the Dreamers 3"

Winner: Dreamville – "Revenge of the Dreamers 3"

J. Cole and his fellow Dreamville labelmates have taken 2019 by storm. In addition to his artists dropping their solo efforts, Cole made it his mission to release the third installment of the "Revenge of the Dreamers" mixtape series. Artists such as Reason, Buddy, Smino and Ty Dolla $ign were given a golden ticket invitation to create magic on the album, and within just a few months, the album was certified platinum. 

Nominees:

• 2 Chainz
• Drake
• J. Cole
• Meek Mill
• Nipsey Hussle
• YBN Cordae

Winner: Nipsey Hussle

Although Nipsey Hussle tragically lost his life earlier this year, his passing showcased how great his fan base is and also encouraged other hip-hop fans to give his music a listen. Following his death, his 2018 album, "Victory Lap," reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and artists such as Mustard, Rick Ross and DJ Khaled released records with verses from the rapper posthumously. 

Nominees:

• Cardi B
• DJ Khaled
• Drake
• J. Cole
• Megan Thee Stallion
• Nipsey Hussle

Winner: J. Cole

In addition to releasing his fifth album, "KOD," J. Cole has been on a groundbreaking feature run since the beginning of 2018. He appeared on hit songs with artists such as Jay Rock, Anderson .Paak, 6LACK, Rapsody and more recently Gang Starr. Cole even tweeted the Gang Starr song will be his last feature; however, fans can only assume that he meant his last feature of the year. 

Nominees:

• 21 Savage Feat. J. Cole - "A Lot"
• Cardi B & Bruno Mars - "Please Me"
• DJ Khaled Feat. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend - "Higher"
• Lil Baby & Gunna - "Drip Too Hard"
• Lil Nas X Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus - "Old Town Road (Remix)"
• Travis Scott Feat. Drake - "Sicko Mode"

Winner: Lil Baby & Gunna - "Drip Too Hard"

Rappers Lil Baby and Gunna released their joint mixtape, "Drip Harder," in October 2018. The project's lead single, "Drip Too Hard," went 5x platinum and became the rappers' highest-charting single to date. 

Nominees:

• "Act Up" - Produced by EarlThePearll (City Girls)
• "Big Ole Freak" - Produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat (Megan Thee Stallion)
• "Money" - Produced by J. White Did It (Cardi B)
• "Old Town Road (Remix)" - Produced by YoungKio (Lil Nas X Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus)
• "Sicko Mode" - Produced by Rogét Chahayed, CuBeatz, OZ, Hit-Boy & Tay Keith (Travis Scott Feat. Drake)
• "Suge" - Produced by Pooh Beatz and JetsonMade (DaBaby)

Winner: "Old Town Road (Remix)" - Produced by YoungKio (Lil Nas X Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus)

Looking back on 2019, one of the year's most memorable lyric is "I got the horses in the back." That line comes from the hot track, "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. Newcomer Lil Nas X proved to Billboard and fans that hip-hop can be a little country, and vice versa. 

Nominees:

• Blueface
• DaBaby
• Lil Nas X
• Megan Thee Stallion
• Roddy Ricch
• YBN Cordae

Winner: YBN Cordae

After releasing a few mixtapes, newcomer YBN Cordae released his debut album, "The Lost Boy" during the summer. The album featured collaborations with Pusha T, Meek Mill and Ty Dolla $ign, along with Anderson .Paak on his hit single "RNP." The single was produced by J. Cole, therefore it's safe to say Cordae has a number of veterans supporting his craft.

Nominees:

• Jack Harlow - "Loose"
• Kevin Gates - "Luca Brasi 3"
• Megan Thee Stallion - "Fever"
• Roddy Ricch - "Feed Tha Streets II"
• Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y - "2009"
• YBN Almighty Jay, YBN Cordae and YBN Nahmir - "YBN: The Mixtape"

 Winner: Jack Harlow - "Loose"

After releasing a number of mixtapes on the underground scene, Jack Harlow released his major label debut "Loose" in August 2018. The project garnered rave reviews, as it featured collaborations with artists such as K Camp and CyHi the Prynce. 

Nominees:

• 21 Savage - "Wish Wish" (DJ Khaled Feat. Cardi B and 21 Savage)
• Cardi B - "Clout" (Offset Feat. Cardi B)
• Cardi B - "Twerk" (City Girls Feat. Cardi B)
• J. Cole - "A Lot" (21 Savage Feat. J Cole)
• Rick Ross - "Money in the Grave" (Drake Feat. Rick Ross)
• Rick Ross - "What's Free" (Meek Mill Feat.Jay-Z and Rick Ross)

Winner: J. Cole - "A Lot" (21 Savage Feat. J Cole)

One song that was part of J. Cole's feature streak over the past two years was the 21 Savage hit single, "A Lot." Cole uses his verse to call out artists who try to game the music industry, the constant rap comparisons and wanting the music to speak for itself. 

Nominees:

• 21 Savage - "A Lot" Feat. J. Cole
• DJ Khaled - "Higher" Feat. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend
• J. Cole - "Middle Child"
• Kap G - "A Day Without a Mexican"
• Lizzo - "Tempo" Feat. Missy Elliott
• Youngboy Never Broke Again - "I Am Who They Say I Am" Feat. Quando Rondo and Kevin Gates

Winner: DJ Khaled - "Higher" Feat. Nipsey Hussle and John Legend

After Nipsey Hussle lost his life earlier this year, DJ Khaled mentioned that he had a song with him on his 11th studio album, "Father of Asahd." The album's third single, "Higher," has John Legend leading the piano backed by choir vocals, as Nipsey gives a reflection into his life growing up. Khaled is an advocate for positivity, and this track is all about going "higher" when life tries to break one down. 

Nominees:

• Cardi B
• DJ Khaled
• French Montana
• Meek Mill
• Rick Ross
• Travis Scott

Winner: Cardi B

Everyone's favorite "regular degular shmegular girl" Cardi B is never afraid to showcase her style in music videos, red carpets and award shows. She uses each moment to highlight her personality and style inspiration. 

Nominees: 

• All Hip-Hop
• Complex
• HotNewHipHop
• The Shade Room
• WorldStar
• XXL

Winner: Complex

Complex has been in the media industry for 17 years, and the publication continues to be a leading brand for entertainment news, feature stories and exclusive interviews. It has branded from print to digital and has created popular video segments such as "Everyday Struggle" and "Hot Ones." 

Nominees:

• Falz (Nigeria)
• Ghetts (U.K.)
• Kalash (France)
• Little Simz (U.K.)
• Nasty C (South Africa)
• Sarkodie (Ghana)
• Tory Lanez (Canada)

Winner: Little Simz

Over the last year, Little Simz has gifted verses to a number of artists, including VanJess and Yuna. However, she also released her third studio album, "Grey Area," in spring 2019 that helped showcase her honest and vulnerable storytelling. 

Nominees:

• Chase B
• DJ Drama
• DJ Envy
• DJ Esco
• DJ Khaled
• Mustard

Winner: Mustard

Whether fans see him on stage spinning the 1s and 2s for artists like YG or producing hit records for his protégé Ella Mai, there's no doubt that Mustard could take home the title for DJ of the Year. He released his third solo album, "Perfect Ten," in June 2019, which featured collaborations with artists like Migos, Future and the late Nipsey Hussle. 

Nominees:

• Cardi B
• DJ Khaled
• Jay-Z
• Nipsey Hussle
• Rick Ross
• Travis Scott

Winner: Rick Ross

It may be 13 years since Rick Ross dropped his hit song "Everyday I'm Hustlin'," but the rapper, aka The Boss, knows how to stay on his grind. This year he released his 10th album, "Port of Miami 2," and published a highly anticipated memoir. 

Nominees:

• DJ Khaled
• London On Da track
• Metro Boomin'
• Mustard
• Swizz Beatz
• Tay Keith

Winner: Tay Keith

2018 was a breakout year for newcomer Tay Keith, and his production tagline could be heard on some of the hottest records. Within this past year, he produced hit songs such as Blocboy JB's "Look Alive," Drake's "Nonstop" and Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode." 

Nominees:

• Benny Boom
• Bruno Mars, Florent Dechard
• Calmatic
• Dave Meyers
• Eif Rivera
• Travis Scott

Winner: Dave Meyers

Dave Meyers has been one of the most sought-out music video directors in the past 20 years. He's created videos for artists such as Missy Elliott, Janet Jackson, N.E.R.D. and Kendrick Lamar. Since 2018 he has worked with artists such as SZA, Rich Brian, Travis Scott and Drake.