BET Awards 2017: What Winners Beyoncé, Remy Ma and More Are Worth
The 2017 BET Awards, which wrapped late on Sunday, June 25, will go down in award show history as a huge upset that broke a years-long streak, a socially powerful statement — thanks in no small part to those inspired by Jesse Williams’ passionate 2016 BET speech — and an inspiring look back at music history.
While Remy Ma ended Nicki Minaj’s seven-year winning streak when she took home the trophy for Best Female Hip Hop Artist, host Leslie Jones’ opening riff on the old school turned out to be a prophecy, as viewers spent much of the night looking back on sentimental acts, thanks to a stellar performance by New Edition and moving tributes to artists like Chuck Berry and Prince.
The stars of the BET Awards have astounding wealth, but this weekend, they taught a lesson more valuable than any net worth: Sometimes, the past is the freshest place there is — especially when that past is the ’90s.
Best Female R&B/Pop Artist
| Name |
Net Worth |
| Beyoncé | $450 million |
| Kehlani | $3 million |
| Mary J. Blige | $20 million |
| Rihanna | $230 million |
| Solange | $8 million |
Best Male R&B/Pop Artist
| Name | Net Worth |
| Bruno Mars | $90 million |
| Chris Brown | $35 million |
| The Weeknd | $50 million |
| Trey Songz | $12 million |
| Usher | $180 million |
Read: Kanye West’s Net Worth on His 40th Birthday
Best Group
| Name | Net Worth |
| 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne | 2 Chainz: $6 million Lil Wayne: $150 million |
| A Tribe Called Quest | More than $19 million, collectively |
| Fat Joe & Remy Ma | Fat Joe: $5 million Remy Ma: $500,000 |
| Migos | $9 million |
| Rae Sremmurd | $6 million |
Best Collaboration
| Names/Title | Net Worths |
| Beyoncé Ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Freedom” | Beyoncé: $450 million Kendrick Lamar: $18 million |
| Chance the Rapper Ft. 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne – “No Problem” | Chance the Rapper: $9 million 2 Chainz: $6 million Lil Wayne: $150 million |
| Chris Brown Ft. Gucci Maine & Usher – “Party” | Chris Brown: $35 million Gucci Mane: $12 million Usher: $180 million |
| DJ Khaled Ft. Beyoncé & Jay-Z – “Shining” | DJ Khaled: $20 million Beyoncé: $450 million Jay-Z: $900 million |
| Migos Ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee” | Migos: $9 million Lil Uzi Vert: $3 million |
| Rae Sremmurd Ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles” | Rae Sremmurd: $6 million Gucci Maine: $12 million |
Best Male Hip Hop Artist
| Name | Net Worth |
| Big Sean | $12 million |
| Chance the Rapper | $9 million |
| Drake | $90 million |
| Future | $8 million |
| J. Cole | $15 million |
| Kendrick Lamar | $18 million |
Best Female Hip Hop Artist
| Name | Net Worth |
| Cardi B | $600,000 |
| Missy Elliott | $50 million |
| Nicki Minaj | $75 million |
| Remy Ma | $500,000 |
| Young M.A. | $2 million |
Look: The Wealth of Nicki Minaj, Hip-Hop’s Highest-Paid Woman
Video of the Year
| Name/Title | Net Worth |
| Beyoncé – “Sorry” | $450 million |
| Big Sean – “Bounce Back” | $12 million |
| Bruno Mars – “24k Magic” | $90 million |
| Migos Ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee” | Migos: $9 million Lil Uzi Vert: $3 million |
| Solange – “Cranes in the Sky” | $8 million |
Video Director of the Year
| Name/Artist and Title | Net Worth |
| Benny Boom – Kehlani, “Crazy” | $10 million |
| Bruno Mars & Jonathan Lia – Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like” | Bruno Mars: $90 million Jonathan Lia: Unknown |
| Director X – Zayn Malik, “Like I Would | $5 million |
| Hype Williams – Tyga, “Gucci Snakes Ft. Desiigner” | $14 million |
| Kahlil Joseph & Beyoncé Knowles-Carter – Beyonce, “Sorry” | Khalil Joseph: Unknown Beyoncé: $450 million |
Best New Artist
| Name | Net Worth |
| 21 Savage | $4 million |
| Cardi B | $600,000 |
| Chance the Rapper | $9 million |
| Khalid | $2 million |
| Young M.A. | $2 million |
Album of the Year
| Title/Artist | Net Worth |
| 24k Magic – Bruno Mars | $90 million |
| 4 Your Eyez Only – J. Cole | $15 million |
| A Seat at the Table — Solange | $8 million |
| Coloring Book – Chance the Rapper | $9 million |
| Lemonade – Beyoncé | $450 million |
Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award
| Name/Song | Net Worth |
| Cece Winans – “Never Have to Be Alone” | $8 million |
| Fantasia Ft. Tye Tribbet – “I Made It” | Fantasia: $3 million Tye Tribbet: Unknown |
| Kirk Franklin Ft. Sarah Reeves, Tasha Cobbs & Tamela Mann – “My World Needs You” | Kirk Franklin: $8.5 million Tamela Mann: $3 million |
| Lecrae – “Can’t Stop Me Now (Destination)” | $2 million |
| Tamela Mann – “God Provides” | $3 million |
Best Actress
| Name | Net Worth |
| Gabrielle Union | $20 million |
| Issa Rae | Unknown |
| Janelle Monae | $4 million |
| Taraji P. Henson | $16 million |
| Viola Davis | $12 million |
Best Actor
| Name | Net Worth |
| Bryshere Y. Gray | $2 million |
| Denzel Washington | $220 million |
| Donald Glover | $12 million |
| Mahershala Ali | $8 million |
| Omari Hardwick | $1.5 million |
Check Out: The Wealth of the 2017 Oscar Winners
Youngstars Award
| Name | Net Worth |
| Ace Hunter | Unknown |
| Caleb McLaughlin | $700,000 |
| Jaden Smith | $8 million |
| Marsai Martin | Unknown |
| Yara Shahidi | $1 million |
Best Movie
| Title | Worldwide Box Office |
| Fences | $64.4 million |
| Get Out | $251.2 million |
| Hidden Figures | $230.2 million |
| Moonlight | $65 million |
| The Birth of a Nation | $15.8 million (domestic only) |
Sportswoman of the Year Award
| Name | Net Worth |
| Gabby Douglas | $3 million |
| Serena Williams | $160 million |
| Simone Biles | $2 million |
| Skylar Diggins | $400,000 |
| Venus Williams | $75 million |
Sportsman of the Year Award
| Name | Net Worth |
| Cam Newton | $45 million |
| Lebron James | $400 million |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | $8 million |
| Russell Westbrook | $50 million |
| Stephen Curry | $35 million |
Centric Award
| Name/Song | Net Worth |
| Fantasia – “Sleeping with the One I Love” | $3 million |
| Kehlani – “Distraction” | $3 million |
| Mary J. Blige – “Thick of It” | $20 million |
| Solange – “Cranes in the Sky” | $8 million |
| Syd – “All About Me” | $800,000 |
| Yuna – “Crush Ft. Usher” | Unknown |
Coca-Cola Viewers’ Choice Award
| Name/Song | Net Worth |
| Beyoncé – “Sorry” | $450 million |
| Bruno Mars – “24k Magic” | $90 million |
| Drake – “Fake Love” | $90 million |
| Migos Ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee” | Migos: $9 million |
| Rae Sremmurd Ft. Gucci Mane – “Black Beatles” | Rae Sremmurd: $6 million Gucci Mane: $12 million |
| The Weeknd Ft. Daft Punk – “Starboy” | The Weeknd: $50 million Daft Punk: unknown |
Best International Act: Europe
| Name | Net Worth |
| Booba (France) | $14 million |
| Mhd (France) | $1 million |
| Craig David (UK) | $18 million |
| Emeli Sande (UK) | $8 million |
| Giggs (UK) | $3.5 million |
| Skepta (UK) | $2 million |
| Stormzy (UK) | $8 million |
| Wiley (UK) | $6 million |
Best International Act: Africa
| Name | Net Worth |
| Aka (South Africa) | $1.5 million |
| Babes Wodumo (South Africa) | Unknown |
| Davido (Nigeria) | $16 million |
| Nasty C (South Africa) | $180,000 |
| Stonebwoy (Ghana) | $5.5 million |
| Tekno (Nigeria) | Unknown |
| Wizkid (Nigeria) | $11 million |
| Mr. Eazi (Nigeria) | $1 million |
BET Awards 2017 Winners
Remy Ma Shakes Things Up
Net Worth: $500,000
Nicki Minaj had an incredible run at the BET Awards, snatching the Best Female Hip Hop Artist trophy every single year from 2010 to 2016. Her road to victory wasn’t easy; Remy won the award back in 2005, then spent a stretch in prison. Her 2017 track, “Shether,” was a diss aimed at Minaj, which makes Remy’s victory either much more sweet or more sour, depending on whose side you take.
Beyoncé Is Still the Queen
Net Worth: $450 million
At this point, it’s futile to try and outdo Queen B. Of seven nominations, Beyoncé took home five star-shaped trophies, including a People’s Choice Award and a nod for co-directing her own music video for “Sorry” alongside Kahlil Joseph. Her powerhouse album — and now proven award magnet — was of course the surprise release “Lemonade,” an intensely personal, musically sonic exploration of relationships which Rolling Stone called a testament to “the life-changing magic of making a great big loud bloody mess.” Lemonade implies that Jay-Z might have spent some time in the dog house, but the power couple still enjoys a combined net worth of $1.35 billion.
Beyoncé has a lot to celebrate on top of her BET wins: She and Jay-Z recently joined the club of some of the richest celebrities to welcome twins.
Bruno’s Ascent
Net Worth: $90 million
Trailing just behind Beyoncé, with his third studio album, “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars had five nominations. Mars went home with his first two BET trophies. The musician kicked off the show in style with a performance of “Perm.” Mars’ distinctly ’90s influenced album felt right at home on a night that played plenty of homage to ’90s R&B.
Chance Pays Off
Net Worth: $9 million
Like fellow newcomer Migos, Chance the rapper went home with two trophies, including the award for Best New Artist. Of course, “new” is a relative term, as Chance has been kicking around the scene since 2012. This year, though, he made history. As an artist who famously refuses to sign with a label, he inspired the Grammys to officially recognize streaming albums. Speaking of Grammys, Chance took three of those home in February, including another Best New Artist trophy. Chance also earned BET’s Humanitarian Award this year.
Related: The Net Worths of the 2017 Grammy Winning Artists
A Big Year for Movies
Box Office Returns: Varied
Music tends to catch most of the spotlight at the BET Awards. This year, however, blockbuster movies scored major attention, as this has been a monumental year for African American cinema. Three of the five nominees were major contenders at the this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, “Get Out” is still sitting on an unprecedented 99 percent “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the noms made a combined total of $626.6 million at the global box office. “Hidden Figures” might have won the trophy, but powerful movie-making won the year.
New Edition = Classic Edition
Net Worth: Bobby Brown, $2 million; Ronnie DeVoe, $500,000; Johnny Gill, $10 million; Ralph Tresvant, $8 million
This year’s lifetime achievement honoree, New Edition, will go down forever in the canon of BET Awards performances. The real group didn’t just get serenaded by cast members from BET’s own “The New Edition Story,” the white-suited original crew took us all back to the ’90s with stunningly energetic renditions of “Mr. Telephone Man” and “Can You Stand the Rain,” proving that New Edition never really got old.
Up Next: 50 Splurges of the Filthy Rich
All net worth figures are according to CelebrityNetWorth.com and box office earnings are according to BoxOfficeMojo.com unless otherwise noted.
