Executives, artists, and tastemakers descended upon New York at Legacy Records in Manhattan to honor Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players in its inaugural occasion toasting to the 100 gifted and completed people who made this yr’s checklist.
In a time the place R&B and hip-hop are the largest genres, the vitality of the room was one in every of triumph the place these locally which have been working for years got here to rejoice the accomplishments and dedication to advancing the success and ubiquitousness of the multifaceted artform.
The Mountain-sponsored occasion introduced out a number of distinguished figures locally together with the likes of established veterans corresponding to 300 Entertainment’s Kevin Liles, Columbia Records Chairman/CEO Ron Perry, Atlantic Records Chairman/COO Julie Greenwald and President of Black Music Michael Kyser, ICM’s Mark Siegel and Mark Cheatham, energy agent Cara Lewis, MAC Presents Marcie Allen, RCA’s President of Black Music Mark Pitts, Republic Records Executive Vice President Rob Stevenson, Alamo Records General Manager/Partner Shari Bryant, Interscope govt VP of Urban Operations Nicole Wyskoarko Warner Music Group EVP Juliette Jones, Columbia Records and Sony/ATV’s Shawn Holiday and Epic Records govt VP of Promotion Traci Adams.
A stacked group of up-and-coming executives additionally attended together with Rayna Bass and Selim Bouab of 300 Entertainment, Jennifer Drake of Sony/ATV, Chayce Cheatham of Hitco, Carl Chery of Spotify, Tim Glover and Aaron “Dash” Sherrod of Interscope, Nicole Sterling Simms of Universal Music Group Publishing, Dallas Martin and Orlando Wharton of Atlantic Records, EMPIRE Records Founder Ghazi Shami, Rolling Loud Festival co-founder Matt Zingler, and Dooney Battle of Tha Lights Global (the label that signed Lil Pump).
A number of artists even made it to the occasion together with newcomer Tierra Whack, Leikeli47, Young M.A., and the incomparable Cardi B.
In an introduction to the evening, Billboard’s VP of Content Ross Scarano commented on the magnitude of the event noting, “We get an opportunity to acknowledge these in energy proper now within the trade that we maintain so pricey.” He added by saying, “I imagine that everybody is aware of on this room is aware of that for many years hip-hop has been one of the progressive forces in our tradition. It has lengthy been the area of geniuses and tastemakers that the Pulitzer group has been sitting on award-winning materials for the reason that ’80s.”
VIBE’s editor-in-chief Datwon Thomas complemented Ross’s feedback and launched the primary presenter, Motown President Ethiopia Habtemariam by saying, “she is a celebrated govt in her personal proper amongst many wins and private accolades together with a spot on this yr’s checklist and slaying Billboard’s inaugural pioneering ladies’s cowl this yr.”
“I’m so grateful and grateful to be right here celebrating my brothers,” a proud Habtemariam remarked about Executives of the Year honorees Kevin “Coach Okay” Lee and Pierre “Pee” Thomas. She praised the morality of the revered duo saying, “I’m grateful in my profession I’ve been in a position to expertise and work with individuals this gifted, those that have a degree of ethics, integrity and style. They’re wonderful fathers, brothers, sons, and simply wonderful individuals.” Recalling a pivotal time in her personal skilled life she harkened again to the preliminary assembly with the 2 and famous the way it “modified the trajectory for all of our careers.” Speaking to the viewers normally concerning the significance of R&B and hip-hop, she proclaimed, “we been right here and we been doing this. We are in a room of those that give you the concepts, we take the chance the analysis is predicated on. And we love the info and analysis that informs our choices after the very fact too.”
Showing gratitude for the honour, Lee began by saying, “I wish to thank Billboard for acknowledging all of the laborious work that P and I do.” After commenting on how far their label Quality Control has come, Lee gave a forecast for what’s to return saying, “we about to close this shit down, (with an excited Cardi B within the crowd agreeing saying “Let’s Talk About It!”).
Thomas shouted out the varied acts on the group, calling Migos his “youngsters” and “the best group ever arms down”, Cardi B the “new queen of the rap game”, Trippie Redd the “rockstar of the rap game”, City Girls the “new princesses of the South” and Lil Baby “the brand new king of the South.”
Introducing the person of the hour, Impact Award honoree Meek Mill, activist, writer, and commentator Van Jones started on a religious notice explaining how detrimental forces can be utilized to carry optimistic into one’s life. After going right into a recap of Mill’s latest authorized battles with an extended drawn-out probation in his hometown of Philadelphia, Jones revered Mill for his means to command the eye of presidency officers just like his prominence as an artist.
“I’ve personally witnessed him stand in entrance of the Governor of his personal state and that governor say “sure, sure, sure” to his demand for justice,” he stated. “You are about to witness the rise of a brand new sort of hip-hop superhero who’s transferring the tradition from saying my ache is about me to my ache is about us. Saying my breakthrough for myself on the charts goes to be a breakthrough for the group within the courts, and who isn’t just going to make hits however make legal guidelines.”
“Lots of people stood up for me and lots of people broke their necks for me,” Mill stated. “I believed it was solely proper to make use of a few of my platform and my energy to truly attain again and assist the those that stood up for me.” Mill went on by saying, “I wish to thank Atlantic Records, Roc Nation, my household, all people, Billboard for getting acknowledged. You know the place we come from we do not even get acknowledged for the shit we do more often than not so it is nearly shocking and overwhelming after we get in these sort of conditions.” He concluded saying, “I’m going to proceed doing what I’m doing and making change and influence. And nonetheless spitting that sizzling shit like I do.”
