BMI paid tribute to the best in R&B and hip-hop last night at its 2026 R&B/Hip-Hop Awards held at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA. Nas received the BMI Icon Award, the evening’s highest honor, in recognition of his prolific songwriting and immeasurable influence on hip-hop and beyond. BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year, Producer of the Year, Top Producers, Publisher of the Year and BMI’s 35 Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the U.S. of the previous year were also announced. The private event was hosted by BMI CEO Mike O’Neill, BMI EVP & Chief Revenue & Creative Officer Mike Steinberg and BMI VP, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton.

Steinberg kicked off the BMI Icon tribute, saying, “Nas didn’t just raise the bar, he reset it. For what hip-hop could be. For what songwriting could accomplish. For how deeply an artist could observe, think and write.” Evelyn “Champagne” King followed, bringing the crowd to its feet with a tribute performance of “I’m In Love” and “Love Come Down,” which was sampled on the 1997 hit track “Calm Down” by Capone-N-Noreaga featuring Nas.

BMI’s 2024 BMI Icon Babyface then took to the stage to continue the celebration, praising Nas for being “a pioneer, trailblazer and a true icon.” Adding, “He’s not an ordinary rapper. He’s a poet and a philosopher.” Closing out the tributes, Large Professor hyped the crowd with a DJ mix of some of Nas’ greatest hits.

 

 

While accepting the Icon Award, Nas gave a heartfelt speech thanking BMI, saying, “Staring at records on wax I saw the three letters, BMI. No matter the legends I was listening to, I saw BMI. Never in a million years did I think I would be partners with BMI. It just shows you that the things you dream about could really happen.” He also thanked Evelyn “Champagne” King and Babyface for their music which was such an incredible source of inspiration for him. He then added, “Every one of the artists who were appreciated tonight, I appreciate you more. I’m going to stream you more because your genius inspires me, and your genius inspires the whole globe.”

Nas joins an elite group of music creators who have received the BMI Icon Award including James Brown, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, LA Reid, Nile Rodgers, Snoop Dogg, The Jacksons, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Babyface and more.

The coveted BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year went to Kendrick Lamar for co-writing six of the previous year’s most performed songs including, “30 For 30,” “hey now,” “peekaboo,” “squabble up,” “tv off,” and the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year, “luther,” with BMI co-writers Matthew “MTech” Bernard, Atia “INK” Boggs, Sam Dew, Roselilah (BUMA), Mark “Sounwave” Spears and SZA. The smash hit landed at #2 on Billboard‘s 2025 Year End Hot 100 Songs chart and made history for most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at 23 weeks, surpassing the previous record of 22 weeks for Lamar’s own “Not Like Us.”

Hitmaker O Lil Angel was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year for the breadth of his work including collaborations with Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR on “Spider-Man Superman,” and “Somebody Loves Me” as well as production credits on Drake albums Habibiti, Made of Honour and Iceman, including hits “What Did I Miss,” “Which One” and “Janice STFU,” which debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Additionally, D’Mile, who was BMI’s 2022 Producer of the Year, Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni of FNZ and Jahaan Sweet were also named Top Producers during the ceremony.

Sony Music Publishing was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Publisher of the Year for representing 27 of the previous year’s most-performed songs, including “Timeless,” “Like Him,” “Yukon,” “25” and BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year, “luther,” to name a few. Throughout the ceremony, BMI also recognized the top producers and songwriters of the previous year’s 35 Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the U.S., which featured 63 first-time winners.

The evening featured high-energy performances, including Belly Gang Kushington and YKNiece opening with “Friend Do Remix,” “Take Me Thru Dere” and “WTF Goin;” Real Boston Richey singing his hit song “Help Me;” Miles Caton showcasing his textured and emotional baritone on “Lean On;” Tone Stith serenading the audience with his smooth R&B hit single “Fly” and Tiana Major9 performing “Collide” and her latest single “Heaven.”

BMI also took a moment to remember the late Tay Keith as an exceptionally talented songwriter and producer who was “a friend, a mentor and a brother to so many in the room.” During the very special moment, his family came onstage to accept his 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year award on his behalf, which was announced at last year’s ceremony.

Before the ceremony, the inaugural BMI Foundation Babyface Award was presented to Jersey City-based songwriter and producer Rijah Banerjee. The BMI Foundation and Babyface created this award as a competitive grant and mentorship program for emerging songwriters and composers of R&B, hip-hop, soul and other music of the African diaspora.