September 8, 2012
Mariah Carey, Drake, Lil Wayne, EMI Music Publishing & More Honored at BMI Urban Awards
Ester Dean, Kane Beatz, Nicki Minaj and Pop Wansel also take top honors
Press Release
LOS ANGELES, September 7, 2011 – Urban music’s premier songwriters, producers and music publishers came together to celebrate one another tonight during the BMI Urban Awards at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. The annual, star-powered event toasts the creative teams behind the past year’s most-performed R&B, rap, pop and hip-hop songs in BMI’s deep repertoire.
Mariah Carey was named a BMI Icon in recognition of her prolifically successful and influential songwriting career. A jaw-dropping tribute, which included producer Jermaine Dupri; gospel siren Karen Clark Sheard, who performed “Anytime You Need a Friend”; R&B crooner Joe, delivering “We Belong Together”; soul troubadour Eric Benet, who offered “One Sweet Day”; and American Idol alum Fantasia belting out “Hero,” paid homage to Carey.
BMI honors songwriters who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” as Icons. Mariah Carey joins a list of past honorees that includes The Jacksons, Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Al Green, The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, to name a few.
Drake and Lil Wayne shared the Songwriter of the Year crown by each writing seven songs that rank among the year’s most-performed. The win marks the second consecutive Songwriter of the Year title for Drake, whose top contributions include “Aston Martin Music,” “Headlines,” “Moment 4 Life,” and “What’s My Name?,” as well as “Right Above It,” “I’m On One” and “She Will,” which he co-wrote with Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne’s four additional smashes include “6 Foot 7 Foot,” “How to Love,” “Look at Me Now,” and “Motivation.”
Nicki Minaj’s inescapable “Super Bass” earned Song of the Year honors for its writers Minaj, Ester Dean and Kane Beatz, as well as publishers Artist 101 Publishing Group, Dat Damn Dean Music, Harajuku Barbie Music, Money Mack Music, peermusic III, Ltd. and Songs of Universal, Inc.
Pop Wansel earned the Producer of the Year crystal. The incredible songwriter/producer has helmed boards for hits by Trey Songz and Drake, Nicki Minaj, Busta Rhymes, Fantasia, Ginuwine, Lil Wayne, Kelly Rowland, and Britney Spears, among many others. In addition to Wansel, BMI also recognized Top Producers Warren “Oak” Felder, Jim Jonsin, R. Kelly, Lexus “Lex Luger” Lewis, Polow Da Don, Troy Taylor, Kanye West, and Tyler “T-Minus” Williams.
With 17 songs among the most-performed, EMI Music Publishing clinched the prestigious Publisher of the Year crown.
Mac Miller won the first-ever BMI Social Star Award, presented by Spotify. Voted on by fans via Twitter, the award salutes the BMI urban songwriter who has best demonstrated the power of social media to showcase their songwriting talents.
During the ceremony, BMI also recognized the songwriters of Billboard No. 1 singles on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts over the past year.
BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Catherine Brewton, Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta, hosted the 2012 BMI Urban Awards. For a full list of winners, visit www.bmi.com/urban.
Photo and video footage, including interviews, performances and the Icon acceptance speech can be accessed via the official EPKlink:
http://www.epklink.com/2012bmiurbanawards
High-resolution photos will be available at 9 a.m. PST on September 8.
Visit www.bmi.com/press. Username: bmimedia; Password: songwriter.
Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®), a global leader in music rights management, is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 500,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 7.5 million musical works. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for more than 70 years. The company provides licenses for businesses that perform music, and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents. Find out more at www.bmi.com, follow @BMI on Twitter and stay connected through Facebook.
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CONTACTS:
Marlene Meraz / BMI Los Angeles
310.289.6325 /
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Jamil Walker / BMI New York
212.220.3143 /
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Rapper Future performs onstage at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Rapper Birdman, BMI vice president, writer/publisher relations, Atlanta Catherine Brewton and rappers Future and Caskey arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Claude Kelly arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Luke James arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Television personalities Nick Cannon and Randy Jackson arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Producer Bangladesh arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Rapper Mac Miller accepts the Social Star Award from vice president, writer/publisher relations, Atlanta Catherine Brewton and BMI director, writer/publisher relations Wardell Malloy onstage at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Rapper Big Sean (R) and BMI vice president, writer/publisher relations, Atlanta Catherine Brewton arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Producer Bryan "Baby" Williams accepts the award for Songwriter of the Year on behalf of Drake and Wayne from BMI President and CEO Del Bryant, BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton and BMI Director, Writer/Publisher Relations Wardell Malloy onstage at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Kevin McCall arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Rappers Bounc3, MoWii and PeeW33 of Rej3cts arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Producer Warren "Oak" Felder (C) accepts the Producer Award from BMI vice president, writer/publisher relations, Atlanta Catherine Brewton and BMI director writer/publisher relations Wardell Malloy onstage during the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer JoiStarr attends the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Record producer Kane Beatz arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard performs onstage during the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Fantasia performs onstage during the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Honoree Mariah Carey arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Producer T-Minus arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Actor Adam Irigoyen arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Kev Nish, J-Splif and Prohgress of Far East Movement arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Rapper Nas performs onstage at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Gospel singer Karen Clark Sheard arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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President of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Musician Paul McDonald arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Radio Host Yesi Ortiz arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Brian Holland arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Sophia Grace Brownlee arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Rappers Birdman and Future arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Kev Nish, J-Splif and Prohgress of Far East Movement arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Actress Brely Evans arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Rapper T-Pain (L) and BMI president and chief executive officer Del Bryant arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Ray J arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Mali Music arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Songwriter Allan Eshuijs (L) and Josephine Eshuijs arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Television personality Sandra Lee arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Marcus Anthony arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Marsha Ambrosius arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Rapper Mac Miller arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Producers Jonathan Yip and Ray Romulus of Stereotypes arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Rapper Big Sean (R) and BMI vice president, writer/publisher relations, Atlanta Catherine Brewton arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Producer Stevie J arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Record producer Hit Boy arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Eric Benet (R) and Manuela Testolini arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Josh Milan arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Producer Bangladesh arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Ray J arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Gospel singers Kierra Sheard, Karen Clark Sheard, and John Drew Sheard II arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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(L-R) Laurieann Gibson, Debbie Allen and Norman Nixon Jr. arrive at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Singer Kevin McCall arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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Songwriter/producer Troy Taylor arrives at the 2012 BMI Urban Awards honoring Mariah Carey at the Saban Theatre on September 7, 2012 in Beverly Hills, California.
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