BMI announced today that GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter and producer Babyface will receive the BMI Icon Award at the 2024 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards on Thursday, September 5th. This honor recognizes his impressive career, marked by a formidable catalog of hit songs that have transcended generations and connected with audiences around the globe.
In addition, GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter SZA will be presented with the BMI Champion Award in honor of her dedication and efforts in fostering the next generation of music creators. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and Vice President, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton, the private event will return to Los Angeles, CA for the first time in nearly ten years to be held at Fairmont Century Plaza.
“We’re excited to honor the legendary Babyface with the BMI Icon Award in celebration of his incredible talent and gift of prolific songwriting which has influenced decades of hits among all genres,” said Brewton.
“We’ll also recognize the exceptional industry-shifting career of SZA, who challenges conventions and has a unique vibe that continues to transform and inspire a new feel of R&B that we have grown to love. It will be a phenomenal night of music celebrating BMI’s award-winning songwriters, producers, and music publi
Throughout the evening, BMI will also salute the songwriters, producers and music publi will also be named during the ceremony.
As the co-founder of the legendary LaFace Records, he’s helped launch the careers of Toni Braxton, P!nk, TLC, Outkast, UCtrl, to critical acclaim, launching SZA into stardom by landing at No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, No. 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it remained for 371 weeks, the longest run for any Black female artist’s debut album.
The RIAA-certified 3x Platinum album received five GRAMMY nominations, including Best New Artist. In 2022, MTV Video Music Awards, six BET Awards, including Best New Artist in 2018 and Album of the Year in 2023 and received Billboard’s Women in Music Rule Breaker Award in 2019.
In 2023, SZA was crowned the Woman of the Year at the Billboard’s Women in Music Awards, named Variety’s Hitmaker of the Year, WSJ. Magazine’s Music Innovator of the Year and received R&B Artist of the Year and R&B Song of the Year for “I Hate U” at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. In 2024, https://www.bmi.com/genres/rb_hiphop and use hashtag #BMIRnBHHAwards on social.
Press credentials will be very limited due to capacity. To apply for red carpet credentials, please go to https://www.bmi.com/press/credential/2024-bmi-rb-hip-hop-awards. A post event press release, photos and video will be serviced after the event.
