At age 6, he discovered his love for hip hop. While other kids piss their beds, Jarren would stay up late, past midnight, to record “The Fresh Party,” a local Atlanta Hip Hop radio show. Soon Jarren began to write his own rhymes and by the time he reached 10 years old, he was a premature beast on the mic.

Jarren’s arsenals of talent also includes production and live performance skills. For the past seven years, Jarren had been producing and writing his own music in addition to producing tracks for other local Atlanta artists. With a sick live show that puts other rappers to shame, Jarren refined and mastered this art having performed at various open mics and showcases, such as the Southeastern Music Conference and Atlantis Music Festival.

Growing up in a house hold with no father figure, Hip Hop was like a second parent to Jarren. Obsessed with breaking into the music industry, he dropped out of high school to pursue his musical career. Unfortunately, since then it’s been a downward spiral. With no education behind him it has been difficult to find a career that will allow him to support his family and satisfy his thirst for making music. Frustrated with his adversities and the current state of Hip Hop, its do or die for Jarren. With the ability to KILL any competition that comes, his way he is destined to make it. Jarren Benton is the future of hip hop, a legend in the making. Be on the look out for this new “king of the south.” Don’t sleep or you will regret it.

But New York native Lanz isn’t one to be fenced in by expectations. Signed to Interscope Records, which will be releasing her debut album, Young $ Restless, on Feb. 12, 2008, Lanz is currently on tour opening for no less a hip-hop icon than Snoop Dogg, winning converts and proving her mettle night after night.

Born Alana Michelle Josephs, the only child shuffled between her parents for a few years, eventually ending up with her mother. Despite what Lanz calls a “blissful” relationship, the reunion was soon shattered by her mother’s boyfriend’s unstable, drug-fuelled behavior. Combined with the absence of her father, Lanz increasingly turned to such straight-ahead, occasionally rage-fueled acts as Tupac, DMX and Eminem, and, in the process, began developing her own skills.

“As a young kid, instead of having my mind guarded, it wasn’t really shielded at all,” she says. “So real life at an early age was a real thing for me.”

Lanz started recording demos and rapping on the underground scene, eventually gathering a team of industry professionals and ultimately becoming the subject of label interest, leading to a meeting at Interscope honcho Jimmy Iovine’s home. The pair clicked, and Lanz is now finishing up her album with such well-established producers as Three 6 Mafia, Stargate, and Organized Noize.

“When you’re creating waves in uncharted waters, there’s always going to be haters who try to sink your float,” she says. “No matter how many times they try to stop me, I’ve kept right on my beautiful struggle. I’ve felt both the pain and the love so I speak for the kid always pushed on. I show them how to shove back. I'm not just trying to make it, I’m trying to be one of the best to ever do it.”

Black Eyed Peas	Toby Keith	Rascal Flatts

BMI songwriter/artists swept the country category, winning all four AMAs including a Favorite Male Artist title for Toby Keith and the Favorite Band, Duo or Group win for Rascal Flatts.

Red Hot Chili Peppers	Shakira	Carrie Underwood

Other big winners at the ceremony -- handed out by surprise presenter Britney Spears -- included the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were named Favorite Alternative Artist in the adult contemporary category and Favorite Band in the pop/rock category.

Newly crowned Latin Grammy queen Shakira was named Favorite Latin Artist and American Idol alumna Carrie Underwood took home the coveted Breakthrough Artist trophy.

BMI's 2006 American Music Awards winners:

POP/ROCK
Band, Duo or Group
Red Hot Chili Peppers

Album
Nickelback
All the Right Reasons

COUNTRY
Male Artist
Toby Keith

Female Artist
Faith Hill

Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts

Album
Tim McGraw
Greatest Hits Volume 2

SOUL/RHYTHM AND BLUES
Male Artist
Jamie Foxx

Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas

RAP/HIP-HOP
Male Artist
Eminem

Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas

Album
The Black Eyed Peas
Monkey Business

ALTERNATIVE
Artist
Red Hot Chili Peppers

LATIN
Artist
Shakira

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Artist
Kirk Franklin

BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
New Artist
Carrie Underwood]]> 2006-11-22T03:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/334715 Artists, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Evanescence, Fat Joe, Ja Rule, Lopez, Jennifer, Luny Tunes, Neptunes, The, Omar, Don, Shakira, Snoop Dogg, TANG, Musical Styles, Latin, Musicworld, Feature Levitating from the underground to the top of the Latin charts, the genre known as reggaetón has pumped a much-needed shot of vitality into a complex and shifting record market. In the first half of 2005, unit shipments of various formats of Latin music increased a monumental 27.7 percent, a figure attributed in great part to the rise of reggaetón. Correspondingly, mainstream artists have now appropriated the trademark rhythms as reggaetón remixes of tracks from Alicia Keys, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and even Evanescence shake the dance floors. This cross-cultural popularity has everything to do with the music’s core audience: the growing demographic of young, American-born Latinos, nearly 20 percent of all Americans 34 and younger. They speak English, listen to hip-hop and are more connected in their attitudes than their parents and grandparents were. Reggaetón has also had a global impact, most notably in Central and South America, along with such European countries as France, Germany and Spain.

The genre’s defining feature is a relentless drum-machine track, almost identical across different songs, derived from Trinidadian soca music and Jamaican dancehall and reggae rhythms. This beat is called “Dem Bow” after the beat in a Shabba Ranks song of the same name. Although it emerged from the island of Puerto Rico, reggaetón reflects cross-cultural roots. In the ’70s, Jamaican workers migrated to Panama to work on upgrading the country’s famous canal and the trademark “riddims” they imported were appropriated into the popular songs and styles in this adopted locale. DJs helped popularize this hybrid form of Latin reggae, and by the early ’80s it could be heard mainly in underground settings across Latin America. Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, artists were translating Jamaican reggae into Spanish, and fusing these lyrics with Panamanian-style reggae beats after artists like El General introduced this blend of rap and reggae music to the island. Translating Jamaican reggae into Spanish, and fusing these lyrics with Panamanian-style reggae beats, hip-hop and dancehall, reggaetón was born. DJ Playero, who produced Vico C’s first underground recordings, is one of the pioneers in the introduction of this genre. He produced five reggaeton compilation albums with artists like Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Mexicano, Big Boy, and Frankie Boy, among others, in the early ’90s.

“The Queen of Reggaetón,” Ivy Queen, is the genre’s undisputed female ruler. Born in Puerto Rico but raised in New York, she returned to the island in the ’90s and teamed up with impresario DJ Negro, who invited her to join a rap compilation label known as The Noise. Ivy Queen wrote and performed her first hit song, “Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes,” with them and launched her career as a formidable artist. “Sabes Que Tu,” a collaboration with Wyclef Jean, raised her profile even higher. With her own releases and projects with others — notably El Mexicano, K-7 and Don Omar — she maintains her powerful allure through self-penned lyrics that often speak of her alliance to her native Puerto Rico with pointed pro-feminist messages injected into the rhymes.

Francisco Saldaña and Victor Cabrera — the duo known as Luny Tunes — are often described as “the Neptunes of reggaetón,” owing to their chart dominance and canny knack for inventing hits for other artists. Former kitchen workers at Harvard University, they migrated to Puerto Rico, where they added bachata and meringue to the reggaeton formula and crafted one of the genre’s biggest smashes, Daddy Yankee’s track “Gasolina,” from Barrio Fino, a benchmark release that hovered on the Latin charts for nearly two years. Since then, Luny Tunes has showcased a rotating cast of talent on their own releases. The two’s Mas Flow (2003), La Trayectoria (2004) and Mas Flow, Vol. 2 (2005) — arguably the party album of the year — solidified their reputation as songwriters and artists of note whose productions are conspicuously musical. “We never use samples,” confirms Saldana. “We want to create everything new.”

An illustrious cast of contributors, including Ivy Queen, Pit Bull, D’Mingo and Nina Sky, join Tony Touch on his latest opus, The ReggaeTony Album, proof of his prominence in the genre. Alternately known as “Tony Toca,” the Brooklyn-based DJ has orchestrated massive releases via his mix tapes, beginning with The Piece Maker, featuring the music of Big Pun, Wu Tang Clan, Eminem and others. Also an alumnus of The Noise nightclub in Puerto Rico, the DJ and producer has enriched the genre with his deft productions, grafting the incendiary street smarts of hip-hop to more tropical Latin grooves. With a regular slot on New York’s Power 105.1, Music Choice Television and Sirius Satellite Radio plus choice DJ gigs spinning from Spain to Switzerland, Touch/Toca is among the genre’s foremost ambassadors, spearheading a roster of artists that often includes Vico C and Don Dinero.

His frequent guest artist, D’Mingo, a vocalist, keyboardist and arranger, was originally a more traditional singer. His debut, Que Vacile Mi Gente, (executive produced by Jelly Bean Benitez) presented a salsa-flavored style, while Rumbero Soy upped the Latin quotient considerably.On all of the projects on which he now guests, his distinctive tenor voice connects the high-octane rhythms of reggaetón to the seductive melodies of classic Latin songcraft.

From Hector “El Bambino” to Hector “El Father”: A name change signifies the musical maturation of the artist/producer often compared to his stateside counterparts, P. Diddy or Dr. Dre. In the ’90s, Hector Delgado Roman was one half of a pioneering duo, Hector and Tito, notably the first reggaetón artists with the drawing power to sell out massive concerts in Puerto Rico. In 2005, after a heady 12-year run, Hector launched his solo career with a performance in Pasto, Colombia, to a stadium filled with 60,000 adoring fans. His compilation album, Los Anormales, with guest spots by Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Wisin y Yandel and others and released on his own imprint, GoldStar Music, sold 130,000 copies in just two days in Puerto Rico. In addition to founding his label, he was the first reggaeton artist to sell out two concerts in the new 18,000-seat coliseum in Puerto Rico. Today, most of these artists have signed contracts with major labels such as Universal, Columbia, EMI and Interscope.

DJ Playero is another notable figure in the growth of the genre, compiling some 39 volumes of reggaetón and helping to launch the careers of Daddy Yankee, Chezina, and Baby Rasta y Gringo, among others.

Reggaetón is clearly a genre of inclusion, and the most accomplished artists now collaborate outside of the genre. Ivy Queen’s Real has pairings with Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Fat Joe, and Luny Tunes anticipate working with Jennifer Lopez, the Black Eyed Peas and Ja Rule. Boundaries aren’t limited to the Caribbean or the East Coast. In Southern California, two brothers, Johnny and Victor Lopez, the duo known as Crooked Stilo, have mixed hard-core rap and cumbias into a stew they describe as “crunketón,” incorporating such far-flung sounds as the regional Mexican bounce of banda and hard core hip-hop. Says Victor, “We grew up with Dr. Dre, NWA and Snoop Dogg. It’s a big influence. We’ve been in this for 10 or 12 years, and we’ve always mixed the Latin and English stuff. It’s just lately that the reggaetón blew everyone out of the water. It’s something new, it’s hot in the clubs and people like dancing to it, plus the words and melodies have something to them.”

With their latest release, Retrasalo, Crooked Stilo advances their genre bending sound. Victor Lopez, who lives in the San Gabriel Valley town of Temple City, attests that he listens to potential beats in his car, “bumping” them before his lyrics arrive. Reggaetón is, he says, a physical experience. “There’s a saying that with the music you can only get the people through their hearts or through their feet. Reggaetón does it through the feet.”

Gustavo Santaolalla	Three 6 Mafia

Latin rock producer, songwriter, performer, film composer and Surco Records president Gustavo Santaolalla earned his first Academy Award for the riveting score to Brokeback Mountain. The music from the triple Oscar-winning film also won big at this year's Golden Globes, taking home the Best Original Song award for "A Love That Will Never Grow Old."

A native of Argentina, Santaolalla worked his way through the business as a performer before turning to producing with business partner Anibal Kerpel. Together, the two formed Surco Records and are responsible for some of today's most influential rock en español music, including Café Tacuba, Juanes, Molotov and Bajofondo Tango Club. His other notable film scores include 21 Grams and The Motorcycle Diaries.

The Academy Award for Best Song went to "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp" from the Hustle and Flow soundtrack. Co-written by BMI songwriters Jordan Houston (aka Juicy J) and Paul Beauregard (aka DJ Paul) of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, and labelmate Cedric Coleman (aka Frayser Boy), the win marked only the second time in Oscar history that a rap song received one of the top movie music prizes (Eminem's "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile won Best Song in 2003).

"Pimp" also goes down in the Oscar record books as the first rap song to be performed live during the telecast; Eminem passed up on the invitation when he was nominated.

Legendary figures in the Memphis underground, Three 6 Mafia has been through several incarnations over the past 10 years and is currently churning out their own brand of hardcore, "crunk"-style rap with members Juicy and Paul, as well as Crunchy Black and Lord Infamous. Their most recent release Most Known Unknown on their own Hypnotize Minds imprint (Sony) includes the smash hit single "Stay Fly" (featuring 8 Ball & MJG and Young Buck of G-Unit), as well as guest appearances from Project Pat, Lil' Flip, DJ Kay Slay and Paul Wall.

Mariah Carey	Kanye West	John Legend

Mariah Carey's multi-platinum comeback album, The Emancipation of Mimi, and its smash single "We Belong Together," helped the pop singer score three of the most coveted Grammy nominations: Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The hit ballad also picked up mentions for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, while Mimi added Best Contemporary R&B Album to Carey's haul.

Presenters for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards nominations included BMI songwriter/artists John Legend, CeCe Winans, Mariah Carey, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger and Patti LaBelle. Photo by S. Lovekin/WireImage

Rapper Kanye West continued his red hot streak, also earning nominations in the Album and Record of the Year categories with his sophomore release Late Registration and the hit "Gold Digger," respectively. He will compete against himself for the Album of the Year title as a producer on Carey's disc. As a songwriter, West will battle for the Best Rap Song crown with his "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," as well as Best R&B Song as a co-writer on the Alicia Keys track "Unbreakable."

Black Eyed Peas	Brooks & Dunn

Soul singer John Legend is up for Best New Artist, Best R&B Album for his debut Get Lifted, and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Song of the Year for "Ordinary People," which he also co-wrote. Legend joins his mentor Kanye West and rapper Common on the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration ticket with "They Say."

Casting Crowns	Common

Coming in with six nominations was Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas who, as a songwriter, has a shot at Song of the Year and Best R&B Song as co-writer of Legend's "Ordinary People" and Best Rap Song for the Peas' hit "Don't Phunk with My Heart." The band is also up for Best Rap and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Death Cab for Cutie	Foo Fighters

In addition to Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Common earned three other mentions, including Best Rap Album for Be. Four nods also went to Foo Fighters, Gorillaz, Billy Childs and BMI producer/songwriters the Neptunes, who have production credits on two Album of the Year nominees -- Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi and Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

The Game	Gorillaz	John Williams

Earning three nominations apiece were Sheryl Crow, with Best Female Pop Vocal Performance ("Good is Good"), Best Pop Vocal Album (Wildflower) and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for the single "Building Bridges," featuring Brooks & Dunn and Vince Gill; Eminem (Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rap Album); and film composer John Williams, up for Best Score for Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, as well as for Best Instrumental Composition for both "Anakin's Betrayal" (from Revenge of the Sith) and "The Ferry Scene" (from the War of the Worlds soundtrack).

Maroon 5	Norah Jones	Sheryl Crow

Double nominees included rappers The Game and T.I., songwriter Marcus Hummon, singer Norah Jones and gospel diva CeCe Winans.

Other BMI songwriters and artists collecting Grammy nominations were Christina Aguilera, Dallas Austin, Casting Crowns, Eric Clapton (PRS), Death Cab for Cutie, Paquito D'Rivera, Danny Elfman, Fall Out Boy, Osvaldo Golijov, Dave Holland Big Band, Intocable, Keane (PRS), Maroon 5, Sugarland, Ying Yang Twins, and BMI Icons Charlie Daniels and Brian Wilson.

Sugarland		T.I.

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 8.

BMI's 2006 Grammy Award Nominees:

8 NOMINATIONS
Mariah Carey
John Legend
Kanye West

6 NOMINATIONS
William Adams

4 NOMINATIONS
Billy Childs
Common
Foo Fighters
Gorillaz (PRS)
The Neptunes

3 NOMINATIONS
Yolanda Adams
The Black Eyed Peas
Sheryl Crow
De La Soul
Eminem
Herbie Hancock
Faith Hill
Alison Krauss & Union Station
John Williams

2 NOMINATIONS
Bobby Boyd
Brooks & Dunn
Andrew Coleman
Andrew Dawson
Dixie Chicks
The Game
Michael Giacchino
Jeff Hanna
Marcus Hummon
Norah Jones
Delbert McClinton
Donnie McClurkin
Joel Moss
Willie Nelson
Al Schmitt
Fat Man Scoop
T.I.
The White Stripes
CeCe Winans

MORE NOMINEES
Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra with Arturo O'Farrill
Christina Aguilera
Trey Anastasio
Audio Adrenaline
Audioslave
John August
Dallas Austin
Ramon Ayala y Sus Bravos Del Norte
Marcia Ball
Ray Barretto
Steve Berkowitz
Big & Rich
Terence Blanchard
Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones
Blue Highway
Printz Board
William Bolcom
Peter Boyer
Solomon Burke
Burning Spear (PRS)
Sam Bush
Gary Calamar
Caribbean Jazz Project featuring Dave Samuels Orishas (SACEM)
Kurt Carr
Casting Crowns
Christopher Cerf
Steven Curtis Chapman
Cherryholmes
The Chieftains (IMRO)
Willy Chirino
Eric Clapton (PRS)
Dorinda Clark-Cole
Conjunto Progreso
Ry Cooder
Stewart Copeland
The Crabb Family
Robert Cray
Bill Cunliffe
Rivers Cuomo
Daft Punk (PRS)
Charlie Daniels
Day of Fire
Death Cab for Cutie
Deep Dish
Mos Def
Jack De Johnette
The Del McCoury Band
Ani DiFranco
Jerry Douglas
Dave Douglas
Paquito D'Rivera
John Du Prez (PRS)
Jerry Duplessis
Nokie Edwards
Danny Elfman
Ahmet Ertegun
Bill Evans
Fall Out Boy
Sammy Figueroa
Béla Fleck
Floetry
David Foster
Jamie Foxx
Aretha Franklin
Kirk Franklin
Carlos Franzetti
Larry Gatlin
Joachim Garraud (SACEM)
Gilberto Gil
Vince Gill
Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Osvaldo Golijov
The Grascals
Grits
Buddy Guy
Merle Haggard
John Hammond
Raiatea Helm
Dave Holland Big Band
Israel Houghton
Van Hunt
Eric Idle (PRS)
Intocable
Jamiroquai (PRS)
Jars of Clay
The Jazz Chamber Trio
Rodney Jerkins
Eric Johnson
George Jones
The Jordanaires
Ledward Ka'apana
Keane (PRS)
John P. Kee
Garison Keillor
Toby Keith
R. Kelly
B.B. King
Kitaro
Kraftwerk (GEMA)
Ladysmith Black Mambazo (SAMRO)
Las 3 Divas
La Secta Allstar
The Last Poets
La Tropa F
Donald Lawrence
Ricky Lewis
The Light Crust Doughboys
Lil Wayne
Harold Lily
Aaron Lindsey
Linkin Park
Little Joe
Los Lonely Boys
Los Pleneros de la 21
Andre Lyon
Maroon 5
Joeworn Martin
Martina McBride
Delbert McClinton
Vicky McGehee
Tim McGraw
Sarah McLachlan (SOCAN)
Meat Beat Manifesto
Pat Metheny Group
Luis Miguel
Mingus Big Band
Ministry
Keb Mo
Molotov
Rick Moranis (SOCAN)
Mudvayne
Martha Munizzi
Walter Murphy
Meshell Ndegeocello
North Mississippi Allstars
The Oak Ridge Boys
Claus Ogerman (GEMA)
Walter Ostanek (SOCAN)
George Pajon, Jr.
Eddie Palmieri
John Prine
Queens of the Stone Age
Rascal Flatts
Joshua Redman Elastic Band
Sonny Rollins
The Royal Jesters
Eddie Santiago
Marvin Sapp
Seal (PRS)
José Serebrier
Shakira
Wayne Shorter Quartet
Ron Sluga
Omar Sosa
Luciana Souza
Jimmy Sturr
Sugarland
Tierney Sutton
System of a Down
Ali Farka Touré (BUMDA)
Tiempo Libre
Turtle Island String Quartet
Keith Urban
Bebo Valdés
Marcello Valenzano
Louie Vega
Rhonda Vincent & the Rage
Brian Wilson
BeBe Winans
George Winston
Paul Winter Consort
Hugh Wolff
David Yazbek
Ying Yang Twins

Tim McGraw	Black Eyed Peas

McGraw, who was named Favorite Country Male Artist, saw his triple-platinum CD Live Like You Were Dying earn the Favorite Country Album nod. The Peas' two wins included Favorite Band, Duo or Group in both the pop/rock and rap/hip-hop categories.

Mariah Carey	R. Kelly	Brooks & Dunn

Comeback queen Mariah Carey picked up a trophy for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist, while R. Kelly earned the same award in the male category.

Shakira	Sugarland

Other BMI winners included country duo Brooks & Dunn, Latina rocker Shakira, rapper Eminem and newcomers Sugarland, who took home the coveted Breakthrough Artist award.

Nominations for the American Music Awards are based on sales figures and radio play, and winners are selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners.

BMI's 2005 American Music Award winners:

Black Eyed Peas
Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Band, Duo or Group

Tim McGraw
Favorite Country Male Artist
Favorite Country Album: Live Like You Were Dying

Brooks & Dunn
Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group

Mariah Carey
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist

Eminem
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist

R. Kelly
Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist

Shakira
Favorite Latin Music Artist

Sugarland
Breakthrough New Artist]]> 2005-11-22T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234565 Artists, 3 Doors Down, Black Eyed Peas, Brooks & Dunn, Carey, Mariah, Casting Crowns, Eminem, Jars of Clay, Keith, Toby, Kelly, R., Legend, John, Lil Jon, Maroon 5, McGraw, Tim, Pretty Ricky, Queen, Rascal Flatts, Santana, Carlos, Shakira, Sugarland, Ying Yang Twins, Musical Styles, Latin, R&B, Rock, Urban Mariah Carey leads the list of BMI artists and songwriters nominated for the 33rd annual American Music Awards with four nods, including Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Album in both the pop/rock and soul/r&b categories. Her multiplatinum album The Emancipation of Mimi, which held the #1 spot on the Billboard Albums chart for several weeks, remains in the Top 10 more than five months after its release.

Mariah Carey	Black Eyed Peas

Among the artists earning two AMA nominations were hip-hop/funk group the Black Eyed Peas, rapper Eminem and country superstars Toby Keith and Tim McGraw.

Toby Keith	Tim McGraw	John Legend

The Peas, up for Favorite Band in the rap/hip-hop genre, will compete against BMI rockers 3 Doors Down for Favorite Pop/Rock Band. Eminem's double mentions included Favorite Artist and Favorite Album for Encore, and Keith and McGraw will vie for country's Favorite Male Artist and Album trophies.

3 Doors Down	Shakira

Other BMI nominees included neo-soul artist John Legend, Latin diva Shakira, crunk rappers Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz and Christian music group Casting Crowns.

Lil Jon	Casting Crowns

Nominations for the American Music Awards are based on sales figures and radio play, and winners are selected by a survey of about 20,000 listeners. The 2005 American Music Awards will take place on November 22 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angles; the show will be televised live by ABC.

BMI's 2005 AMA Nominees:

POP/ROCK
Favorite Female Artist
Mariah Carey

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
3 Doors Down

Favorite Album
The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah Carey

SOUL/R&B
Favorite Male Artist
R. Kelly
John Legend

Favorite Female Artist
Mariah Carey

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
112
Pretty Ricky

Favorite Album
The Emancipation of Mimi
Mariah Carey

COUNTRY
Favorite Male Artist
Toby Keith
Tim McGraw

Favorite Female Artist
Martina McBride
LeAnn Rimes

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Rascal Flatts

Favorite Album
Honkytonk University
Toby Keith
Live Like You Were Dying
Tim McGraw

RAP/HIP-HOP
Favorite Male Artist
Eminem

Favorite Female Artist
Lil' Kim
Trina

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
The Black Eyed Peas
Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz
Ying Yang Twins

Favorite Album
Encore
Eminem
Urban Legend
T.I.

ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Favorite Artist
Maroon 5

LATIN MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Luis Miguel
Shakira

ALTERNATIVE MUSIC
Favorite Artist
System of a Down

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Favorite Artist
Casting Crowns
Jars of Clay

BREAKTHROUGH
Favorite New Artist (all genres)
Sugarland

BMI saluted the premier r&b, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 2005 BMI Urban Awards, staged August 26 in the Grand Ballroom of the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach.

BMI Urban Awards Event Photos

BMI Urban Awards Song List

Billboard #1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Lil Jon and R. Kelly were named Songwriters of the Year, each receiving four "most performed song" awards. "Yeah!," written by Sean Garrett, Lil Jon and Patrick "j.Que" Smith, was named Song of the Year, Kanye West received Producer of the Year honors, and EMI Music Publishing was awarded the BMI Crystal for Urban Publisher of the Year. The first Urban Ringtone Award went to Lil Jon and Craig D. Love for "Freek-A-Leek." A highlight of the gala was a tribute to urban funk legends Charlie Wilson and The GAP Band, who were named BMI Icons for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers."

Lil Jon	R. Kelly	The GAP Band

The ceremony was hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton, who presented awards to the 70 songwriters of the 35 most performed songs of 2004 in the urban music format.

Sean Garrett	Patrick "j.Que" Smith	Kanye West

Lil Jon, who was honored with three major BMI awards - Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year and Urban Ringtone of the Year - was also named one of BMI's top songwriter/producers of the year. He placed four songs on the most-performed song list, including "Freek-A-Leek," "Goodies," "Salt Shaker" and Song of the Year "Yeah!" Lil Jon was also named Songwriter of the Year at BMI's Pop Awards held in May, marking the first time a songwriter earned both Pop and Urban Songwriter of the Year honors in the same year.

Craig D. Love	Cool & Dre	Fat Joe

R. Kelly received his second BMI Crystal as Urban Songwriter of the Year (he also won in 2002) with four songs on the most-performed list - "Gigolo," "Hotel," "Step in the Name of Love" and "Thoia Thoing" - and was also named one of BMI's top songwriter/producers. His latest CD, TP.3 Reloaded, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 the week of its release, instantly becoming his fifth #1 album.

Jazze Pha	John Legend	Mannie Fresh

"Yeah!," recorded by Usher featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon, was named Urban Song of the Year for tallying the most U.S. broadcast performances in 2004. The #1 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop song earned awards for songwriters Sean Garrett, Lil Jon and Patrick "j.Que" Smith, and music publishers Christopher Matthew Music, Hitco Music and White Rhino Music, Inc.

BMI Producer of the Year honors went to Kanye West for logging the most producer credits on charting songs. The BMI Top Urban Producers list also included Cool & Dre, Eminem, Fat Joe, Jazze Pha, R. Kelly, John Legend, Lil Jon, Mannie Fresh and The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo).

On the list of BMI's 35 most-performed urban songs, four songwriters contributed three songs each: Eminem, Sean Garrett, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. Other writers earning multiple awards were Miri Ben-Ari, Chad Hugo, Lil Flip, Harold Spencer Lilly, Jr., Craig D. Love and Sham.

EMI Music Publishing was named BMI Urban Publisher of the Year by accumulating the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. Big Jon Platt, Executive Vice President, Urban Music, U.S., accepted on behalf of the publisher, which boasted 17 songs on the most-performed list (through its companies EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., EMI-Hastings Catalog, Inc., EMI-Stone Diamond Music Corporation, and Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc.).

Other publishers with multiple award-winning songs were Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Zomba Songs Inc. (8 awards); Universal Music Publishing (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc.) (6); Warner/Chappell Music Group (Foster Frees Music, Inc./Rick's Music, Inc./Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.) (5); R. Kelly Publishing, Inc. and White Rhino Music, Inc. (4 each); Eight Mile Style Music and Waters of Nazareth Publishing (3 each); C'Amore Music, Clover G Music, Embassy Music Corporation, Ensign Music Corporation, Mirimode Music, Please Gimme My Publishing, Inc., Raynchaser Music, Swizole Music and Uncle Bobby Music (2 each).

The evening culminated with Charlie Wilson and The GAP Band being honored as BMI Icons. One of the most influential groups in the history of r&b, Charlie and his brothers Robert and Ronnie Wilson, who got their name from the streets in the black business hub of their native Tulsa, Oklahoma (Greenwood, Archer, Pine), dominated the r&b charts with their hard-driving funk grooves from the late '70s to early '80s. Four of the band's nine albums were certified Platinum plus (The GAP Band II, The GAP Band III, The GAP Band IV and GAP Band V - Jammin') and featured 15 Top Ten and four #1 r&b hits, including "You Dropped a Bomb On Me," "Party Train," "Burn Rubber," "Outstanding," "Oops Upside Your Head," "Early in the Morning," and the smooth love song, "Yearning for Your Love." "Outstanding" alone remains one of the most sampled songs in history and has, astonishingly, been used by over 150 artists.

Prior to being named BMI Icons, Wilson and The GAP Band were saluted with an all-star musical tribute that included performances by 112 and Guy. BMI President and CEO Del Bryant, along with Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg and will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas), presented the award to the group.

In addition to the BMI performance awards, music trade magazine Billboard recognized the BMI-affiliated writers who had #1 songs on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year. Chad Hugo, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams led with "Drop It Like It's Hot," which topped all four lists.