The 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, held on Thursday, August 28th, at the prestigious Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, honored a constellation of stars who have significantly shaped the landscape of modern music. This year’s ceremony placed a spotlight on genre titans T-Pain and GloRilla, recognizing their profound contributions and indelible impact on R&B and hip-hop music. The event also celebrated the songwriters, producers, and publishers behind the year’s most-performed tracks, underscoring the craft and artistry that drives the industry forward.
T-Pain Receives Prestigious BMI President’s Award
The legendary T-Pain was bestowed with the highly coveted BMI President’s Award, an honor reserved for artists whose careers have demonstrated exceptional influence and have significantly shifted the sound of music. T-Pain, a Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, and songwriter, has built a formidable catalog of hit songs that have resonated across generations. Since the mid-2000s, his innovative use of Auto-Tune revolutionized vocal production, transforming it from a debated effect into a widely embraced artistic tool. His hit-making career includes chart-toppers like “Buy U a Drank,” “I’m Sprung,” and “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper),” and his global impact is evidenced by sales exceeding 50 million singles and numerous Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits. T-Pain has previously earned 28 BMI Awards, including three BMI Songwriter of the Year titles and the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year award. Accepting the President’s Award, T-Pain encouraged fellow artists to define their own timelines and find happiness within themselves, stating, “Don’t let anyone dictate your time … Let yourself be your own time measurement.” He also expressed gratitude to his team and family for their support over the past two decades.
GloRilla Honored with BMI Impact Award and Songwriter of the Year Title
The dynamic GloRilla was recognized with the BMI Impact Award, celebrating her groundbreaking artistry, creative vision, and her significant influence on the future of hip-hop. Her meteoric rise since her 2022 breakout hit, “FNF (Let’s Go),” has cemented her status as a powerful voice in contemporary music. GloRilla has consistently delivered chart-topping tracks, including “Yeah Glo!,” “Wanna Be” (with Megan Thee Stallion), and “TGIF.” Her debut album, Glorious, released in October 2024, achieved the highest opening week sales for a female rapper that year. In a remarkable feat, GloRilla also tied for BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year, sharing the title with Tay Keith and Mike Dean. Each of these accomplished writers contributed three of BMI’s 35 Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of the year. GloRilla’s impactful acceptance speech urged aspiring artists to persevere, saying, “Keep y’all’s foot on the gas. Don’t let nobody tell y’all what y’all can’t do.” She joins an impressive roster of previous BMI Impact Award recipients, such as Ice Spice, Tems, and RAYE.
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” Named Song of the Year
Further highlighting the year’s top musical achievements, Kendrick Lamar’s viral sensation “Not Like Us” was crowned BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year. The track, credited to Kendrick Lamar along with co-writers Ray Charles, Sean Momberger, and Sounwave, has been lauded for its impressive chart performance. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2024 and became the longest-charting rap song in the survey’s history, spending 53 consecutive weeks on the chart. Sounwave also received the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year award for his extensive work, including his contributions to Lamar’s tracks and projects for artists like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
Celebrating the Architects of Modern Music
The 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards ceremony served as a vital platform to recognize the creative architects behind the year’s most resonant songs. Sony Music Publishing was celebrated as Publisher of the Year, representing 23 of the most-performed titles, including hits like “Agora Hills,” “Not Like Us,” and “MILLION DOLLAR BABY.” The event underscored the collaborative nature of the music industry, bringing together a community of creators, innovators, and industry leaders to acknowledge the artistry that defines contemporary R&B and hip-hop music. The recognition of artists like T-Pain and GloRilla, along with the acclaim for tracks like “Not Like Us,” signifies a dynamic period for the genre, showcasing both enduring legacies and the powerful emergence of new talent shaping the future stories of music.
