BMI Salutes Top Urban Music Makers at Star-Studded Gala in NYC
 | BMI Urban Awards Photo Slideshow |
| Billboard No. 1s |
Mariah Carey took home two of the night's top honors, including Song of the Year for her smash "We Belong Together" and Songwriter of the Year, which she shared with Miami-based producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin. A highlight of the gala event was a special presentation to prolific songwriting and production team Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid, who were named BMI Icons for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers."
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| Mariah Carey | Babyface | L.A. Reid |
Other big winners included rapper Kanye West, who earned the Producer of the Year title for the second consecutive year; Warner/Chappell Music Group, named Urban Publisher of the Year; and Jazze Pha's "1, 2 Step," which nabbed the BMI Urban Ringtone Award. Executives from music trade magazine Billboard were also on hand to give out No. 1 Awards to the BMI songs that reached the top spot on its urban music charts.
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| Bigg D | Jim Jonsin |
Song of the Year "We Belong Together," which Carey co-wrote, ruled the top of multiple charts for months after its release in 2005, relaunching the five-octave singer's career back into superstardom. BMI writers Darnell Bristol, Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson, Patrick Moten, Sandra Sully, Bobby Womack and BMI Icon Babyface were also recognized with the Urban Awards' top song prize, as were the song's publishers - ABKCO, Ballads by Design, Hip Chic Music, Mister Johnson's Jams Music, Rye Songs, Songs of Universal, Sony/ATV and Warner-Tamerlane.
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| Kanye West | Jazze Pha |
As the best-selling female performer of the 1990s, Carey stood apart by composing all her own material, and was twice before named Songwriter of the Year (1993 and 1999). She takes the top songwriter prize for the third time this year by placing three of her own hits on the most-performed list - "Don't Forget About Us," "Shake It Off" and "We Belong Together" - all from last year's comeback release, The Emancipation of Mimi. Carey, who also wrote 1992's Pop Song of the Year, "Love Takes Time," has a total of 23 BMI Awards and 15 "Million-Air" songs that have had one million or more broadcast performances.
Sharing the Urban Songwriter of the Year spotlight were producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin, who also had three songs on the most-played list with the co-writes "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy (featuring Lil Jon & Twista), and Pretty Ricky's "Grind With Me" and "Your Body." Formerly known as the Unusual Suspects, this Dirty South production duo has been cranking out the hits, LPs, soundtracks and re-mixes for such heavy-hitters as Trick Daddy, Pretty Ricky, Trina, Jacki-O, Cee-Lo and Pitbull since 2000.
Multiple Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producers Babyface and L.A. Reid then took the stage to accept their BMI Icon honors. As co-founders of LaFace, the record label they started in 1989, the longtime writing partners are responsible for launching the careers of such multi-platinum artists as Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher and Pink. With a vast catalog of hits recorded by such A-listers as Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Outkast, Dido, Ciara, Jay-Z and Songwriter of the Year Mariah Carey, songs penned by Babyface and L.A. have accumulated more than 40 million airplays on American radio and television.
In addition to his behind-the-scenes talent, Babyface has enjoyed his own success as a recording artist, with 11 albums that have produced more than 15 Top 10 hits. He has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year a record seven times (90, 91, 92, 95, 96, 97, 98), more than any other pop writer in the history of the company. They add to the more than 50 BMI Awards displayed on his trophy shelf, which now features his first Urban Award and his third Song of the Year Crystal received tonight as co-writer of "We Belong Together." His other Song of the Year awards include Toni Braxton's "Breathe Again" (1995) and Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love to You" (1996). This year's top song win ties him with the Bee Gees as writer of the most Pop Songs of the Year.
With his exceptional ability to spot and develop new talent, L.A. Reid is currently Chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group. He also served as President & CEO of Arista Records from 2000 to 2004, and is president of his own publishing company, Hitco Music, which tonight earned a pair of BMI Urban Awards for the Chris Brown smash "Run It!" and Fantasia's No. 1 hit "Truth Is." The 18-time BMI Award-winning hitmaker, who in 1990 shared the Pop Songwriter of the Year spotlight with fellow BMI Icon Babyface, most recently guided the release of Mariah Carey's Mimi CD, the mega-selling album that spawned this year's Song of the Year.
BMI Producer of the Year honors went to Kanye West for the second year in a row for logging the most producer credits on charting songs. The BMI Top Urban Producers list also included Mr. Collipark, Pharrell Williams, Lil Jon, R. Kelly, Sean Garrett, Jazze Pha, Cool & Dre, Rodney Jerkins, and Songwriters of the Year Bigg D and Jim Jonsin.
Top producers Sean Garrett, Lil Jon and Andre "Dre" Lyon also made the list of double winners, picking up two BMI Urban Awards apiece, as did The Game and Pretty Ricky members Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper, Corey "Slick'Em" Mathis, Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith, Joseph "Blue" Smith and Spectacular Smith.
Warner/Chappell Music Group was named BMI Urban Publisher of the Year by scoring the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs (through its companies Unichappell Music, Inc. and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.). This is the twelfth BMI Publisher Crystal for Warner/Chappell, which boasted eight songs on the most-performed list, including Song of the Year "We Belong Together" and Ringtone Award winner "1, 2 Step."
Other publishers recognized for multiple award-winning songs were Black Boy Hatchet Music, Dade Co. Project Music, Inc., Dimensional Songs of the Knoll, EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., Ensign Music LLC, Hitco Music, Jimi Mac Music/OG Music, Rye Songs, Songs of TVT, Sony/ATV Songs LLC, Universal Music Publishing (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc.) and Zomba Songs.
"1, 2 Step," written by BMI Top 10 Urban Producer Jazze Pha and published by Bubba Gee Music, Noontime Tunes and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., received the BMI Urban Ringtone Award for tallying the most downloads during the award period. The Ciara hit was also named BMI's very first Internet Song of the Year at the 2006 Pop Awards.
In addition to the BMI performance awards, Billboard recognized the BMI-affiliated writers whose songs reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year. Kanye West's "Gold Digger," featuring Jamie Foxx and writing credits by Renald Richard and the late Ray Charles, topped all four charts.
Below is the complete list of 2006 BMI Urban Awards winners:
1, 2 STEP
Jazze Pha (Ringtone Award)
Bubba Gee Music
Noontime Tunes
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Ciara featuring Missy Elliott
LaFace Records
BABY I'M BACK
Baby Bash
Latino Velvet Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Baby Bash featuring Akon
Universal Records
DISCO INFERNO
Phillip "Bangout" Pitts
Songs of Universal, Inc.
50 Cent
G-Unit Records
DON'T CHA
Busta Rhymes
Cee-Lo Green
Sir Mix-A-Lot
Ensign Music LLC
Notting Hill Music, Inc.
Tziah Music
Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes
Interscope Records
DON'T FORGET ABOUT US
Mariah Carey
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Mariah Carey
Island Records
GET IT POPPIN'
Fat Joe
Andre "Dre" Lyon
Dade Co. Project Music, Inc.
Joey And Ryan Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Zomba Songs
Fat Joe featuring Nelly
Atlantic Records
GOLD DIGGER
Ray Charles
Renald J. Richard
Kanye West
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Mijac Music
Please Gimme My Publishing, Inc.
Unichappell Music, Inc.
Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx
Roc-A-Fella Records
GRIND WITH ME
Bigg D
Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper
Jim Jonsin
Corey "Slick' Em" Mathis
Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith
Joseph "Blue" Smith
Spectacular Smith
Black Boy Hatchet Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Pretty Ricky and Maverix
Atlantic Records
HATE IT OR LOVE IT
Ronald Baker
Allan Wayne Felder
Norman Ray Harris
Andre "Dre" Lyon
The Game
Marcello "Cool" Valenzano
Dade Co. Project Music, Inc.
Golden Fleece Music
Mured Music Co.
Zomba Songs
Game featuring 50 Cent
Aftermath Records
HOLLABACK GIRL
Pharrell Williams
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Waters of Nazareth Publishing
Gwen Stefani
Interscope Records
HOW WE DO
The Game
Duane "Spyder" Hughes
Vaughan Mason
Songs of Lastrada
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Spydo-Music
Game featuring 50 Cent
Aftermath Records
LET ME HOLD YOU
Brenda Russell
Ernest D. "No I.D." Wilson
Chrysalis Songs
No I.D. Music Publishing
Lil Bow Wow featuring Omarion
Columbia/Sum
LET ME LOVE YOU
Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith
Bridge Apartments Music
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Mario/3rd Street
LET'S GO
Bigg D
Jim Jonsin
Lil Jon
Maurice Marshall
Trick Daddy
Black Boy Hatchet Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
First and Gold Publishing
Songs of TVT
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trick Daddy featuring Lil Jon & Twista
Slip-N-Slide Records
LOSE CONTROL
Juan Atkins
Richard Davis
Fatman Scoop aka Big Colorado
Curtis Lee Hudson
Big Colorado Music
Deep Space Music
Electro Groove Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Publishing Corporation of America
Spirit One Music
Missy Elliott featuring Ciara & Fatman Scoop
Atlantic Records
LOVERS AND FRIENDS
Lil Jon
Michael Sterling
Irving Music
Persevere Publishing
Songs of TVT
Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz featuring Usher
TVT Records
MOCKINGBIRD
Eminem
Eight Mile Style Music
Eminem
Shady Records
MY HUMPS
Lynn Tolliver
will.i.am
Cherry River Music Co.
Jimi Mac Music
OG Music
will.i.am music, inc.
Black Eyed Peas
A & M Records
OH
Don Carlos Price
M. Semaji Music
Ciara featuring Ludacris
Sho'Nuff - Musicline
OYE MI CANTO
Victor "N.O.R.E." Santiago
Off Da Yelzabulb Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
N.O.R.E feat Gemstar, Big Mato, DaddyYankee, Nina Sky
Thuged Out Militainment
PON DE REPLAY
Alisha "M'Jestie" Brooks
Evan Rogers
Carl Sturken
AMP Group Publishing LLC
Bayjun Beat Music
Below Da Belt Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam Records
RUN IT!
Sean Garrett
Hitco Music
Team S Dot Publishing
Chris Brown
Jive Records
SHAKE IT OFF
Mariah Carey
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Mariah Carey
Island Records
SLOW DOWN
Tim Kelley
Bob Robinson
Bobby "Valentino" Wilson
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
Irving Music
Tightwerk Music
Time For Flytes Music
Bobby V
Disturbing Tha Peace
SOLDIER
Sean Garrett
Rich Harrison
Lil Wayne
T.I.
Dam Rich Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Money Mack Music
Destiny's Child
Columbia Records
SOUL SURVIVOR
Young Jeezy
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Young Jeezy Music
Young Jeezy featuring Akon
Corporate Thugs/Def Jam Records
TRUTH IS
Alex Cantrall
Kenneth Karlin
Patrick "j.Que" Smith
Soulshock
Alley Gadfly Music
Christopher Matthew Music
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Full of Soul Music
Hitco Music
Soulvang Music
Fantasia
J Records
WE BELONG TOGETHER (Song of the Year)
Darnell Bristol
Mariah Carey
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson
Patrick L. Moten
Sandra Sully
Bobby Womack
ABKCO Music, Inc.
Ballads By Design Publishing
Hip Chic Music
Mister Johnson's Jams Music Incorporated
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Mariah Carey
Island Records
WONDERFUL
Irv Gotti
Ja Rule
R. Kelly
D J Irv Publishing
Ensign Music LLC
R. Kelly Publishing, Inc.
Slavery Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Zomba Songs
Ja Rule featuring R. Kelly & Ashanti
The Inc.
YOUR BODY
Bigg D
Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper
Jim Jonsin
Corey "Slick' Em" Mathis
Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith
Joseph "Blue" Smith
Spectacular Smith
Black Boy Hatchet Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Pretty Ricky
Atlantic Records
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