Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) announced that actor and comedian Chris Tucker has signed on to host the 2016 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta, GA alongside BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton. This special occasion will celebrate multiple Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Toni Braxton, who will receive the evening’s highest honor, the BMI President’s Award, in recognition of her illustrious career and outstanding contributions to popular music over the last 25 years. The private event will be held at The Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall on September 1st.
Hip-hop heavyweight and mega producer DJ Khaled & Friends will open the show, with confirmed attendance by R&B and hip-hop’s elite including Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Big Boi, Tamar Braxton, Rae Sremmurd, Rich Homie Quan, Kent Jones and more. The BMI President’s Award is presented on special occasion to an individual songwriter, composer, producer or executive who has made exemplary contributions to the art of music and has profoundly influenced the entertainment industry. As the 2016 honoree, Braxton joins fellow recipients Ludacris and Will.i.am in sharing this distinction.
The songwriters, producers, and publishers of the past year’s most-performed R&B/Hip-Hop songs in the US from BMI’s repertoire of more than 10.5 million musical works will also be honored. The BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter, Producer, and Publisher of the Year will be named during the ceremony. The BMI Social Star Award will also be presented to the winner of the BMI Social Star contest, which aims to find the songwriter with the most engaged social media audience.
The three contenders vying for the top honor include hip-hop recording artist Joey Bada$$, rapper/comedian Lil Dicky, and rapper/producer Logic. Voting is open now through Sunday, August 28th. Click here for more information on voting and the contestants.
Before she became an international sensation, Toni Braxton began her career performing alongside her sisters as one-fifth of the singing group, The Braxtons, and with the help of Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, she launched a successful solo career selling more than 40 million albums worldwide. Some of her hit singles include, “Another Sad Love Song,” “Breathe Again,” “You’re Makin’ Me High,” “He Wasn’t Man Enough” and “Unbreak My Heart” which became her signature song earning her a coveted Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1996. She has received a total of seven Grammy-Awards, most recently for Best R&B Album in 2015 for her collaboration with Babyface, Love, Marriage & Divorce (2014), and many other accolades including nine Billboard Music Awards and seven American Music Awards.
In recent years, Toni has appeared on “Dancing with the Stars,” starred on Broadway (Beauty and the Beast and Aida), and headlined “Toni Braxton Revealed,” a Las Vegas residency at the Flamingo Hotel. Beyond the stage and screen, she is a humanitarian who currently serves as a spokesperson for Autism Speaks, is actively involved in the American Heart Association, and has been incredibly vocal regarding her battle with Lupus. Toni currently stars in WE tv’s hit show Braxton Family Values with her four sisters.
