T-Pain and GloRilla Shine at 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards: A Night of Honors and Industry Tributes
Los Angeles, CA – August 29, 2025 – The Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles was aglow last night as BMI celebrated the luminaries of R&B and hip-hop at its annual 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. The evening’s highest honor, the BMI President’s Award, was bestowed upon the legendary T-Pain, recognizing his monumental career and profound influence on contemporary music. Also commanding the stage was the dynamic GloRilla, who was presented with the BMI Impact Award and shared the prestigious BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year title.
The star-studded event, hosted by BMI’s EVP and Chief Revenue & Creative Officer Mike Steinberg and Vice President, Creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton, paid tribute to the year’s most performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs, celebrating the songwriters, producers, and publishers who shape the industry’s soundscape.
T-Pain: A Legacy of Innovation and Influence
T-Pain, born Faheem Rashad Najm, received the BMI President’s Award for his unparalleled impact on contemporary music. A Grammy Award-winning artist, producer, and songwriter, T-Pain has consistently pushed musical boundaries throughout his career, which began in the mid-2000s. He is widely recognized for popularizing the creative use of Auto-Tune, transforming it from a debated effect into a signature element that influenced a generation of artists across various genres. His catalog boasts chart-topping hits such as “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)”, “I’m Sprung,” and “I’m ‘n Luv (Wit a Stripper)”. His commercial success is staggering, with over 50 million singles sold and numerous Billboard Hot 100 #1 hits.
Since joining BMI in 2005, T-Pain has amassed an impressive 28 BMI Awards, including three BMI Songwriter of the Year titles and a BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year award. While accepting the President’s Award, T-Pain shared a reflective message: “Every journey has a beginning, a middle and an end…. Don’t let anyone dictate your time or how fast you get to the finish line. Let yourself be your own time measurement.” He joins an elite list of previous President’s Award recipients, including Taylor Swift, Ludacris, and Imagine Dragons.
GloRilla: Charting a New Course in Hip-Hop
The vibrant GloRilla was honored with the BMI Impact Award, a recognition of her “groundbreaking artistry, creative vision, and influence on the future of music”. Her bold voice and fearless creativity are actively shaping and inspiring the future of hip-hop, making her a deserving recipient. GloRilla’s rapid ascent began with her viral 2022 hit “FNF (Let’s Go),” leading to her signing with Yo Gotti’s Collective Music Group. Her debut album, Glorious, released in October 2024, marked a significant achievement, debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and setting a record for the highest opening week 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 honor with Tay Keith and Mike Dean. Each writer contributed three of the year’s 35 Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Accepting her Impact Award, GloRilla delivered an empowering message to aspiring artists: “Keep y’all’s foot on the gas. Don’t let nobody tell y’all what y’all can’t do, because a lot of people told me what I can’t do.” She follows in the footsteps of previous BMI Impact Award recipients like Ice Spice and Tems.
A Night of Top Honors and Emerging Talent
The 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards also celebrated other significant achievements in the music industry. Sounwave was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year for his extensive work, including collaborations with Kendrick Lamar on hits like “Euphoria,” “6:16 in LA,” and the highly acclaimed BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year, “Not Like Us”. This track, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, also became the longest-charting rap song in the chart’s history.
Sony Music Publishing was recognized as Publisher of the Year, marking a significant achievement for the company that represented 23 of the most-performed tracks of the year. The ceremony also highlighted the extensive talent of songwriters and producers, with 71 first-time BMI R&B/Hip-Hop award winners being honored.
The evening was further enlivened by dynamic performances from artists such as BigXthaPlug, who delivered renditions of “The Largest” and his BMI Award-winning song “Mmhmm,” and BossMan Dlow, who energized the crowd with “Mr Pot Scraper” and “Get In With Me”. A special “Know Them Now” segment showcased emerging talent, featuring soulful performances from Eli Derby (“Cadillac Dream”), TA Thomas (“Preach”), and Lekan (“Always”).
The 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards underscored the vital role of BMI in recognizing and supporting the creative visionaries who drive the evolution of R&B and hip-hop music, celebrating both established legends and the bright, emerging artists of tomorrow.
