Some awards recognize what an artist accomplished during a particular year. Others recognize what they have meant to the culture over the course of a lifetime. Wednesday night at the Fairmont Century Plaza, the 2026 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards managed to do both.
Benson Boone isn’t just the global sensation of the year these days (rocking Coachella, guesting at SNL, headlining covers of too many magazines (and TikTok fan accounts) to count) — but now he’s also been honored with the BMI Champion Award this week as BMI paid tribute to the best in songwriting at the 2025 BMI Pop Awards at the Beverly Wilshire.
The 2024 BMI Pop Awards celebrated the music industry’s powerhouses – both the performers and the creative minds behind the hits.
The 2024 BMI Pop Awards lit up Beverly Hills with a symphony of talent, where the only thing brighter than the stage lights were the smiles of music’s finest as they created connections that will last a lifetime.
Other winners included Doja Cat for BMI’s Pop Songwriter of the Year, as well as “Stay” which received Pop Song of the Year.
Club LIV, located at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, FL was the place to be last week for the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. The spectacular and extremely exclusive event was hosted by Mike O’Neill, BMI president and CEO, and Catherine Brewton, BMI vice president, creative.
The evening started with the artist, producers, family members, and other VIP guests walking the red carpet and showcasing their outfits, as well as being interviewed, and photographed before they get into the awards show. We got the pleasure to speak with a variety of artists such as; Christopher ‘YC’ Pearson, India Shawn, Lil Scrappy, Adiz “Bambi” Benson, Travis Porter, Morray, 808 Mafia, ATL Jacob, DJ Khaled, and the 2022 BMI Icon, Busta Rhymes. The interviews can be found on our Instagram.
After the Red Carpet guest made their way inside the event where they could listen to jams played by DJ Nasty and guests were welcomed by DJ Khaled. Guests also were invited to indulge in an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. On the menu were; chicken and waffles, many types of empanadas, and a variety of flatbreads. My personal favorite was the carne asada empanadas they were filled with some much flavor and the meat was cooked to perfection.
The crowd got to enjoy performances from singer-songwriter Pheelz and Morray. Towards the end of the night Busta Rhymes preformed “Break Ya Neck,” “Scenario” and “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See” with Spliff Star and DJ Scratchator. Closing the evening Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams preformed “Pass the Courvoisier.”
“As one of the pioneers of hip-hop, we are excited to honor Busta Rhymes as a BMI Icon,” said Brewton. “Through his award-winning solo work, countless collaborations and acting, Busta is a true innovator in every sense of the word and has made a dynamic impact on legions of fans and music creators worldwide.
Rhymes launched his musical career in the early 90s with the hip-hop crew Leaders of the New School. He moved on to become an in-demand collaborator, appearing on numerous tracks for other artists before he officially went solo in 1996 with his massive hit, “Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check.” The single was quickly certified platinum, earning him his first GRAMMY nomination. Throughout the ’90s and 2000s, he was a creative force, topping the charts, including debuting at number one in 2006 with his seventh studio album, The Big Bang. Several of his hit songs, such as “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” “Break Ya Neck,” “Dangerous,” “Gimme Some More” and “What’s It’s Gonna Be?,” featuring Janet Jackson, became hip-hop anthems, solidifying his place as one of the most in-demand rappers in the industry. In 2020, he independently released the critically acclaimed ELE 2: The Wrath of God, with NME saying it was “arguably one of the best-produced hip-hop albums of the last five years.”
Beyond his work in music, Rhymes has appeared in several films and television series, including in Shaft, Finding Forrester, Master of None, The Rugrats Movie and he competed in The Masked Singer on FOX.
As the 2022 BMI Icon, Busta Rhymes joins an elite group of music creators who have received BMI’s highest honor. Past BMI Icons include: Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers, Snoop Dogg, The Jacksons, LA Reid, Babyface, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, James Brown and more.
Song of the year: Justin Bieber hit “Peaches,” featuring GIVĒON and Daniel Caesar.
Songwriter of the year: Megan Thee Stallion and Christopher “YC” Pearson tied. YC and Megan Thee Stallion co-wrote three of the most performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs.
Megan Thee Stallion: “Body,” “Cry Baby” and “Thot Shit.”
Christopher “YC” Pearson: “Time Today” and “Wockesha” and Pooh Shiesty’s “Back in Blood”
R&B/Hip-Hop publisher of the year: Sony Music Publishing
Producer of the year: D’Mile. His work included: Silk Sonic’s “Smokin Out the Window,” “Skate” and “Leave the Door Open,” and “Fair Trade” by Drake and Travis Scott.
Top producer citations: Isaac “Zac” De Boni, ATL Jacob, Michael “Finatik” Mulé, Kanye West, Charlie Handsome, and Rogét Chahayed.
Lastly, but definitely not least, Busta Rhymes was named a BMI Icon at the 2022 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.
To learn more about the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, visit here and use the hashtag #BMIRnBHHAwards on social media.
Courtesy of @indiashawn
With the wind effortlessly blowing, the beautiful songbird, India Shawn, took to the BMI’s Lollapalooza stage to pour out her soul with her R&B songs that are a collection of honesty, trials, and triumphs. Clad in pink with feathers, the LA base songwriter and songstress, belted out the ethereal, “Floating away.” She followed it with her honest and retro vibe song, “Don’t Play With My Heart,” before diving into her laid-back song, “Cali Love.” Then Shawn took a second to chat with fans. She expressed her frustration about living in LA and the lack of finding honest love despite trying.
After taking a beat, she dove into her song “Too Sweet.” With sensual moves, she reminded the audience that she cannot only tempt but also reward those who love her. Accompanied on stage by her guitarist and drummer, India Shawn ruled the stage captivating those in the audience who love to sing along with her, especially for “Too Sweet.”
Shawn changes things up for her next song, “Not Too Deep.” Slowing the tempo down, she made every word in the lyrics not only heard but felt with deep emotion and honesty. With sensuality on full display, Shawn then got brutally honest for her next song, “Exchange.” Hitting high notes, she made the audience feel the moment, in which she put pen to paper to craft the song.
Shawn then reminded her fans that not only is she sensual, but she is also strong. Belting out the song, “Superfine,” she championed her happiness over heartbreak all while noting to everyone that she is one fine-ass individual. She then gave the crowd her rendition of Brandy’s “Almost Doesn’t Count,” before singing “Movin on.” She rounded out her performance with her final song “Caught In The Middle,” which she released only days before Lollapalooza.
Check out India Shawn’s new music video for “Caught In The Middle.”
@buffalonicholsmusic
Life can teach you many lessons, even ones that you don’t want to learn, but for rhythm and blues singer/ songwriter, Buffalo Nichols has taken those life challenges and channeled them into a brutally honest and authentic hard-working music career. Better or for worse, married to the music as well as his guitar, Nichols has traveled the globe from Milwaukee to West Africa to Texas and Europe with the mission to turn an artist’s dream into reality and bring blues music into the future by putting stories of black Americans back into folk music.
His latest stop on his journey has brought him to the iconic Lollapalooza BMI stage. In front of a packed audience of young and old and every color, Nichols sang his heart out. A company just by his guitar and a drummer, he held the audience’s soul in the palm of his hand. With the audience hanging on his every word, he admits his captivating stage presence is not one that he developed overnight. “It’s definitely learned and not natural,” he said. It’s evident that his undeniable stage presence has been one that has been earned through years of setbacks, challenges, and strife culminating in an excruciating pressure that only develops the world’s rarest gems.
As for his music, it seems to have hit a cord with the masses given the pain brought on by the pandemic. He acknowledges with songs like “Living In Hell,” his music has been resonating with more and more people, “I think… a lot of people were trying to escape from the darkness of the last two years, but I think a lot of people are giving into it…not in a negative way but just accepting it. I think that’s why people come to my music.”
Accepting one’s fake can be a love and hate relationship, which is something he can identify with when it comes to his guitar. “It means everything and nothing,” he says about his six strings. “I tried so hard not to play guitar and do something else with my life, but it just [keeps] calling me back,” he admits. “I love it; it’s ruined my life and saved my life,” he said.
As for the next chapter on Nichols’s Journey, well he’s back on the road. His next stop will be AMERICANAFEST before heading to New York, New Jersey, Kentucky, Texas, and Little Rock Arkansas.