Mike Epps Slated as Host for This Year's "BET Hip Hop Awards"

G.O.O.D. MUSIC'S KANYE WEST LEADS WITH 17 IMPRESSIVE NOMINATIONS; 2CHAINZ FOLLOWS WITH 13 AND DRAKE ROUNDS THINGS OUT WITH 11 NODS

SIX CYPHERS TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR'S AWARDS

TAPING AT THE BOISFEUILLET JONES ATLANTA CIVIC CENTER IN ATLANTA ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2012; NETWORK PREMIERE ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012 AT 8:00 PM*

NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2012 -- BET Networks' flagship music variety program, "106 & PARK," officially announced the nominees for the BET HIP HOP AWARDS (#HIPHOPAWARDS). Actor and comedian Mike Epps (@THEREALMIKEEPPS) will once again host this year's festivities from the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center in Atlanta on Saturday, September 29, 2012 with the network premiere on Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 8:00 pm*.

Mike Epps completely took-over "106 & PARK" today to mark the special occasion and revealed some of the notable nominees with help from A$AP Rocky, Ca$h Out, DJ Envy and DJ Drama. Hip Hop Awards nominated artists A$AP Rocky and Ca$h Out performed their hits "Goldie" and "Cashin Out" while nominated deejay's DJ Envy and DJ Drama spun for the crowd.

The BET HIP HOP AWARDS Voting Academy is comprised of a select assembly of music and entertainment executives, media and industry influencers. Celebrating the biggest names in the game, newcomers on the scene, and shining a light on the community, the BET HIP HOP AWARDS is ready to salute the very best in hip hop culture. Leading the pack of A-list talent this year is Kanye West with 17 Nominations for Best Hip Hop Video; Reese's Perfect Combo Award; Best Live Performer; Lyricist of the Year; Video Director of the Year; Producer of the Year; MVP of the Year; Track of the Year; Made-You-Look Award; Hustler of the Year; Impact Track; and 2 nominations for People's Champ Award Powered by Verizon for "Otis" and "Mercy" and 2 nominations Best Club Banger for "Ni**as in Paris" and "Mercy."

"This year as there's a vibrant, young energy in music that our BET Hip Hop Awards show is poised to capture both in dynamic cyphers and thrilling on-stage performances. The excitement will be coming to you at the speed of light!" stated Stephen G. Hill, President of Specials and Programming, BET Networks. "On another note, you can expect an all-star tribute to our friend Chris Lighty from those artists who loved him and worked with him...when it came to Chris, it was 'love' and 'work' in that order. This show, from front to back, is going to be special."

Following is the Full List of BET HIP HOP AWARDS '12 Nominees and Categories:

Best Hip Hop Video
2 Chainz f/ Drake - No Lie
A$AP Rocky - Goldie
Drake f/ Lil Wayne - HYFR
Wale f/ Miguel - Lotus Flower Bomb
Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz - Mercy

Reese's Perfect Combo Award (Best Collabo)
2 Chainz f/ Drake - No Lie
Drake f/ Lil Wayne & Tyga - The Motto (Remix)
J. Cole f/ Missy Elliott - Nobody's Perfect
Wale f/ Miguel - Lotus Flower Bomb
Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz - Mercy

Best Live Performer
A$AP Rocky
Drake
J. Cole
The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West)
Kanye West

Lyricist of the Year
J. Cole
Jay-Z
Kendrick Lamar
Nas
Kanye West

Video Director of the Year
A$AP Rocky & Sam Lecca
Benny Boom
Chris Robinson
Hype Williams
Kanye West

Producer of the Year
Hit-Boy
J. Cole
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
No I.D.
Kanye West

MVP of the Year
2 Chainz
J. Cole
Jay-Z
Rick Ross
Kanye West

Track of the Year
Cashin' Out - Produced by DJ Spinz (Ca$h Out)
Ima Boss - Produced by Jahlil Beats (Meek Mill f/ Rick Ross)
Ni**as in Paris - Produced by Kanye West, Hit-Boy and Mike Dean (The Throne - Jay-Z & Kanye West)
No Lie - Produced by Mike Will Made-It and Co-Produced by Marz (2 Chainz f/ Drake)
The Motto (Remix) - Produced by T-Minus (Drake f/ Lil Wayne & Tyga)

CD of the Year
Common - The Dreamer, The Believer
Drake - Take Care
J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story
The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West) - Watch The Throne
Young Jeezy - TM: 103 Hustlerz Ambition

DJ of the Year
DJ Drama
DJ Enuff
DJ Envy
DJ Funkmaster Flex
DJ Khaled

Rookie of the Year
2 Chainz
A$AP Rocky
Ca$h Out
Future
Meek Mill

Made-You-Look Award (Best Hip Hop Style)
2 Chainz
A$AP Rocky
Big Sean
Nicki Minaj
Kanye West

Best Club Banger
Ca$h Out - Cashin' Out (Produced by DJ Spinz)
Drake f/ Lil Wayne & Tyga - The Motto (Remix) (Produced by T-Minus)
Future - Same Damn Time (Produced by Sonny Digital)
The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West) - Ni**as in Paris (Produced by Kanye West, Hit-Boy & Mike Dean)
Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz - Mercy (Produced by Lifted with additional production by Kanye West)

Best Mixtape
A$AP Rocky - LiveLoveA$AP
Joey BadA$$ - 1999
Meek Mill - Dreamchasers 2
Rick Ross - Rich Forever
Wiz Khalifa - Taylor Allderdice

Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
2 Chainz - Mercy (Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz)
Diddy - Same Damn Time Remix (Future f/ Diddy & Ludacris)
Drake - Stay Schemin' (Rick Ross f/ Drake & French Montana)
Ludacris - Same Damn Time Remix (Future f/ Diddy & Ludacris)
T.I. - Magic Remix (Future f/ T.I.)

Hustler of the Year
2 Chainz
Jay-Z
Lil Wayne
Rick Ross
Kanye West

Impact Track
Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free) - Lupe Fiasco
Bitch Bad - Lupe Fiasco
Daughters - Nas
Murder to Excellence - The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West)

People's Champ Award Presented by Verizon
2 Chainz f/ Drake - No Lie
Driicky Graham - Snapbacks & Tattoos
Meek Mill f/ Rick Ross - Ima Boss
The Throne (Jay-Z & Kanye West) f/ Otis Redding - Otis
Kanye West f/ Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz - Mercy

Best Hip Hop Online Site
2DopeBoyz.com
AllHipHop.com
Complex.com
HipHopDX.com
NahRight.com
RapRadar.com
WorldStarHipHop.com

BET.com/HipHopAwards is the official site for the BET HIP HOP AWARDS 2012 where fans can visit to get up-to-date info on this year's show and take a look back on past BET Hip Hop Awards. In the coming weeks, BET.com will launch a series of interactive timelines, exclusive video content, games and quizzes leading up to the show. BET.com will also give away BET Hip Hop Awards tickets exclusively to BET.com registered users and loyal readers of the BET newsletter. To become a BET.com member and register for our BET Newsletter log on to http://www.bet.com/register.html.

BET's inaugural HIP HOP AWARDS APP is available now for iPhone and Android. It provides a detailed history of the show since its inception in 2006 - hundreds of artists, past winners, cyphers, acceptance speeches and more. "The Lineup" allows app users to predict the order of this year's show performer and a real-time Tweet map shows you what the country and your favorite artists are saying about the show. And for the first time ever, one award - the Best Hip Hop Online Site - will be determined solely by app users.

Join the conversation on social media by logging on to BET's multiple social media platforms:

On Twitter by using hashtag: #HipHopAwards; and following us @HipHopAwards and @BET

On Facebook by liking the fan page at facebook.com/HipHopAwards

Stephen G. Hill, BET's President of Music Programming and Specials; Lynne Harris Taylor, BET's Vice President of Specials, will serve as Executive Producers for the BET Hip Hop Awards, along with Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment.

Official sponsors of The BET HIP HOP AWARDS include Sprite, Verizon, Reese's, Ubisoft/Hip Hop Dance Experience, Dodge Dart, NBCU/'Man with the Iron Fist'.

About Jesse Collins Entertainment

Jesse Collins Entertainment is a full service film and television production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. Over the past decade, Collins, the company's CEO, has played an integral role in producing some of television's most memorable moments in the music entertainment arena. Formerly Executive Producer/Executive Vice President of Cossette Productions, Collins has produced award winning television programming including the Grammy Awards, the BET Awards, BET Honors and BET's Rip the Runway and has worked with superstar talent such as Will Smith, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Kid Rock, Lil Wayne and many more.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), 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 90 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 business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - 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 Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET operates in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.