WE BELONG TOGETHER
Darnell Bristol
Mariah Carey
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson
Patrick L. Moten
Sandra Sully
Bobby Womack
ABKCO Music, Inc.
Ballads By Design Publishing
Hip Chic Music
Mister Johnson's Jams Music
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

YOU AND ME
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

BMI saluted the premier r&b, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 2005 BMI Urban Awards, staged August 26 in the Grand Ballroom of the Fontainebleau Resort in Miami Beach.

BMI Urban Awards Event Photos

BMI Urban Awards Song List

Billboard #1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Lil Jon and R. Kelly were named Songwriters of the Year, each receiving four "most performed song" awards. "Yeah!," written by Sean Garrett, Lil Jon and Patrick "j.Que" Smith, was named Song of the Year, Kanye West received Producer of the Year honors, and EMI Music Publishing was awarded the BMI Crystal for Urban Publisher of the Year. The first Urban Ringtone Award went to Lil Jon and Craig D. Love for "Freek-A-Leek." A highlight of the gala was a tribute to urban funk legends Charlie Wilson and The GAP Band, who were named BMI Icons for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers."

Lil Jon	R. Kelly	The GAP Band

The ceremony was hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton, who presented awards to the 70 songwriters of the 35 most performed songs of 2004 in the urban music format.

Sean Garrett	Patrick "j.Que" Smith	Kanye West

Lil Jon, who was honored with three major BMI awards - Songwriter of the Year, Song of the Year and Urban Ringtone of the Year - was also named one of BMI's top songwriter/producers of the year. He placed four songs on the most-performed song list, including "Freek-A-Leek," "Goodies," "Salt Shaker" and Song of the Year "Yeah!" Lil Jon was also named Songwriter of the Year at BMI's Pop Awards held in May, marking the first time a songwriter earned both Pop and Urban Songwriter of the Year honors in the same year.

Craig D. Love	Cool & Dre	Fat Joe

R. Kelly received his second BMI Crystal as Urban Songwriter of the Year (he also won in 2002) with four songs on the most-performed list - "Gigolo," "Hotel," "Step in the Name of Love" and "Thoia Thoing" - and was also named one of BMI's top songwriter/producers. His latest CD, TP.3 Reloaded, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 the week of its release, instantly becoming his fifth #1 album.

Jazze Pha	John Legend	Mannie Fresh

"Yeah!," recorded by Usher featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon, was named Urban Song of the Year for tallying the most U.S. broadcast performances in 2004. The #1 Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop song earned awards for songwriters Sean Garrett, Lil Jon and Patrick "j.Que" Smith, and music publishers Christopher Matthew Music, Hitco Music and White Rhino Music, Inc.

BMI Producer of the Year honors went to Kanye West for logging the most producer credits on charting songs. The BMI Top Urban Producers list also included Cool & Dre, Eminem, Fat Joe, Jazze Pha, R. Kelly, John Legend, Lil Jon, Mannie Fresh and The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo).

On the list of BMI's 35 most-performed urban songs, four songwriters contributed three songs each: Eminem, Sean Garrett, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. Other writers earning multiple awards were Miri Ben-Ari, Chad Hugo, Lil Flip, Harold Spencer Lilly, Jr., Craig D. Love and Sham.

EMI Music Publishing was named BMI Urban Publisher of the Year by accumulating the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. Big Jon Platt, Executive Vice President, Urban Music, U.S., accepted on behalf of the publisher, which boasted 17 songs on the most-performed list (through its companies EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., EMI-Hastings Catalog, Inc., EMI-Stone Diamond Music Corporation, and Screen Gems-EMI Music, Inc.).

Other publishers with multiple award-winning songs were Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Zomba Songs Inc. (8 awards); Universal Music Publishing (Irving Music/Songs of Universal, Inc.) (6); Warner/Chappell Music Group (Foster Frees Music, Inc./Rick's Music, Inc./Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.) (5); R. Kelly Publishing, Inc. and White Rhino Music, Inc. (4 each); Eight Mile Style Music and Waters of Nazareth Publishing (3 each); C'Amore Music, Clover G Music, Embassy Music Corporation, Ensign Music Corporation, Mirimode Music, Please Gimme My Publishing, Inc., Raynchaser Music, Swizole Music and Uncle Bobby Music (2 each).

The evening culminated with Charlie Wilson and The GAP Band being honored as BMI Icons. One of the most influential groups in the history of r&b, Charlie and his brothers Robert and Ronnie Wilson, who got their name from the streets in the black business hub of their native Tulsa, Oklahoma (Greenwood, Archer, Pine), dominated the r&b charts with their hard-driving funk grooves from the late '70s to early '80s. Four of the band's nine albums were certified Platinum plus (The GAP Band II, The GAP Band III, The GAP Band IV and GAP Band V - Jammin') and featured 15 Top Ten and four #1 r&b hits, including "You Dropped a Bomb On Me," "Party Train," "Burn Rubber," "Outstanding," "Oops Upside Your Head," "Early in the Morning," and the smooth love song, "Yearning for Your Love." "Outstanding" alone remains one of the most sampled songs in history and has, astonishingly, been used by over 150 artists.

Prior to being named BMI Icons, Wilson and The GAP Band were saluted with an all-star musical tribute that included performances by 112 and Guy. BMI President and CEO Del Bryant, along with Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg and will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas), presented the award to the group.

In addition to the BMI performance awards, music trade magazine Billboard recognized the BMI-affiliated writers who had #1 songs on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year. Chad Hugo, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams led with "Drop It Like It's Hot," which topped all four lists.

With The Emancipation of Mimi , Mariah Carey repudiates the rumor mills, negates the naysayers and opens up Her voice and soul to blaze a sensational return to the pinnacle of the charts. Co-writing all 14 tracks, Carey has created a lustrous suite of songs to celebrate her spiritual and professional renewal. Audiences are clearly primed, as the long awaited project is a resounding, out-of-thebox success.

Longtime fans of Carey’s signature, multi-octave balladry will delight in the glossy “We Belong Together,” as her lyrics reference listening to Bobby Womack and Babyface on the midnight radio. The retrovinyl crackle on “Mine Again” extends the legacy of classic soul that ignites with the sheer aural sensuality of “Joy Ride.”

It’s not all smooth silk and ballads, however; raising the temperature substantially, a hit-making host of hip-hop purveyors accompanies Carey squarely into the urban zone. Collaborating with Grammy-winning producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo — The Neptunes — on “Say Somethin,’” she and her duet partner, Snoop Dogg, smolder in tandem with a club-heavy groove. Keeping it equally authentic, Jermaine Dupri, Twista and Nelly all individually join Carey on subsequent tracks. Bolstered by a sample of Thom Bell and Linda Creed’s “Betcha By Golly Wow” as recorded by The Ramsey Lewis Trio, “Stay the Night,” a track produced by Kanye West, perfectly epitomizes Carey’s enduring appeal: timeless soul amped up with nouveau hip-hop flourishes, sparkling with radiant star power. The cover photo says it best, portraying a voluptuous, wind blown Carey posing like a latter-day Greek goddess.

The daughter of a former opera singer and vocal coach — and even named for a song, “They Call the Wind Mariah,” from the Lerner and Loewe musical Paint Your Wagon , Carey, born on Long Island, New York, began vocalizing at the age of four, and was writing her own songs by the time she was attending Oldfield Middle School. The day after graduation from high school, she moved into Manhattan, where she sang backing vocals for a succession of artists, including Brenda K. Starr, who passed her demo on to Sony Music Entertainment chief Tommy Mottola at a party. As legend has it, when Mottola listened to the demo on his ride home, he subsequently commanded his driver to spin the limo around and return to the party so that he could meet the young singer. Soon afterwards, Mottola signed Carey to a Columbia Records contract, where he oversaw her meteoric rise, and eventually married her.

The Emancipation of Mimi, which Carey co-executive produced with her new label chief, Island/Def Jam’s Antonio “LA” Reid, continues an unprecedented lineage of hitmaking that began with her self-titled 1990 debut and four successive hit singles, “Vision of Love,” “Love Takes Time,” “Someday,” and “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” Her follow up, Music Box , continued her chart domination, selling an astounding 10 times platinum. Since these auspicious introductions, Mariah Carey has become the best-selling female performer of all time, with 16 number one singles capped by two Grammy Awards, eight American Music Awards, Billboard’s “Artist of the Decade” Award and the World Music Award for “World’s Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium.” The only artist to top the charts in each year of the 1990s, with the single “Heartbreaker,” she even pushed ahead of The Beatles as the artist with the most cumulative weeks spent atop Billboard ’s Hot 100 Singles chart.

“Mimi” is a nickname that those close to Carey use to address her. This new found freedom, or “emancipation” as evidenced in the title, is given an emphatic dictionary definition on the CD booklet, “To free from the restraint, control, oppression, or power of another.” As she nails a door shut on the past, her lyrics proclaim the autonomy of her new life. “I was in a beautiful house, surrounded by beautiful things, but I couldn’t be who I really was,” she told a British magazine. Soon after her marital split came the movie Glitter , released the week after 9/11, that starred Carey in an acting role. Carey told the New York Post , “The problem was (that) Glitter was about a diva moment. It was too close to my life.” A well-publicized break from her next record label, Virgin, and recovery from exhaustion kept Carey in the trades and tabloids, if not on the charts, but even her record sale doldrums were relative. Both the soundtrack to Glitter and the follow-up, Charmbraclet , moved over a million copies in the U.S. alone.

Now, with her creativity renewed, Carey plans to pen a series of illustrated children’s tales following the life of a bi-racial orphan girl. The series will be based on experiences from the singer’s own childhood, growing up in a mixed-race family. She’s also hoping to translate an earlier album, her 1994 Merry Christmas, into a family-friendly Broadway show. She told MTV, “I get a chance to live out my Christmastime fantasies vicariously through the show. I think it’s going to be fun and something families can go to see.”

On “Fly Like a Bird,” the concluding track to The Emancipation of Mimi , Mariah takes it to church with the jubilant backing of a gospel choir as a disembodied voice intros the song with this quotation from Psalms, Chapter 30, verse five: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” As she celebrates her liberation, like the bird she describes in song, Mariah Carey soars higher in a stratospheric arc of ever-ascending artistry.

Songwriter101.com is a website and user community focused on the business side of songwriting that is specifically geared toward the young songwriter looking to launch a professional career. Songwriter101.com offers a wealth of information, education, and the collective knowledge and experience of some of the music industry's top experts who serve as members of the faculty. The site also features in depth articles about the business side of composing music, video interviews with artists and songwriters from every genre of music, answers to the most frequently asked questions about the business, a guide to the best books about songwriting, links to other helpful industry websites, and the latest music news from around the web. Songwriter101.com is sponsored by Performing Songwriter magazine, performing right organization BMI, Live365.com, Gibson Guitars and Baldwin Pianos.

Shown before the panel are BMI's Phil Graham, Senior Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations; BMI songwriters Randy Sharp, Sean Garrett, Lauren Christy and Chad Hugo; journalist/moderator Dan Kimpel; and BMI's Barbara Cane, Vice President and General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles. Photo by Lester Cohen

BMI saluted the premier R&B, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 2004 BMI Urban Awards, staged tonight (8/27) at the Grand Ballroom at the Fontainebleau Hilton Resorts & Towers in Miami Beach.

Pictured at the 2004 BMI Urban Awards are BMI's Del Bryant and Frances Preston, Producer of the Year R. Kelly, BMI ICON honoree Al Green and BMI's Catherine Brewton

R. Kelly won two of the evening's top honors as writer of Song of the Year, "Ignition," and as Urban Producer of the Year. Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams were proclaimed Urban Songwriters of the Year and Universal Music Publishing was named Urban Publisher of the Year. A highlight of the gala was a tribute to soul music legend Al Green, who was named a BMI ICON for "his enduring influence on generations of music makers."

BMI Urban Awards Event Photos

2004 BMI Urban Awards Song List

Al Green: MusicWorld Feature | BMI Awards List

More on BMI and Urban Music

The black-tie ceremony was hosted by BMI President and CEO Del Bryant. President Emeritus Frances W. Preston and Assistant Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton assisted with the presentations to the BMI-affiliated writers and publishers of the 36 most performed songs in the urban music format.

Al Green	R. Kelly	Busta Rhymes

"Ignition," written by R. Kelly and published by R. Kelly Publishing, Inc. and Zomba Songs Inc., was named Urban Song of the Year for tallying the most US broadcast performances during the eligibility period. Included on Kelly's multi-platinum Jive Records album, Chocolate Factory, "Ignition" was a Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop, Hot 100 and Top 40 charts smash.

Mannie Fresh	Nate Dogg	Kanyé West

Kelly collected his second major award of the night when he was crowned Producer of the Year. The BMI Top Urban Producers list also included Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, Busta Rhymes, Irv Gotti, Jazze Pha, Lil' Jon, Mannie Fresh, Nate Dogg, Kany� West, Mario Winans, and D-Roc and Kaine of the Ying Yang Twins.

Irv Gotti	Jazze Pha	Lil' Jon

The BMI Urban Songwriter of the Year trophy went to the team of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams - also known as the Neptunes - who placed five titles on the most performed list. The songs earning them the prize were "Beautiful" (recorded by Snoop Dogg featuring Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson), "Excuse Me Miss" (by Jay-Z), "Frontin'" (Pharrell featuring Jay-Z), "Luv U Better" (LL Cool J featuring Marc Dorsey) and "When the Last Time" (The Clipse).

Mario Winans	Ying Yang Twins

This is the third Urban Songwriter of the Year award for Williams; he also won in 2001 and 2002. At last year's ceremony, Williams took the BMI Urban Song of the Year honor for co-writing "Hot In Herre," and the Neptunes were named Urban Producers of the Year.

Eight songwriters were double winners, contributing two songs each to the most-performed list: Jeff I. Bass, Mary Y. Brown, Eminem, Irv Gotti, Jazze Pha, R. Kelly, Lil' Jon and Sham. Other writer/artists earning awards were Jennifer Lopez, Ja Rule, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Anthony Hamilton, Wayne Wonder and Paul Simon.

Universal Music Publishing was named BMI Urban Publisher of the Year by accumulating the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs. David Renzer, Worldwide President of Universal Music Publishing Group, accepted on behalf of the publisher, which boasted 10 songs on the most-performed list (through its companies Irving Music, Songs of Universal, Inc., and Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.).

Other publishers with multiple award-winning songs were EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc. (9); Warner/Chappell Music Group (Unichappell Music, Inc./Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.) (7); Waters of Nazareth Publishing (5); Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc./Zomba Songs Inc., Ensign Music Corporation, Noontime Tunes (3); and Bubba Gee Music, D J Irv Publishing, Eight Mile Style Music, Miss Mary's Music, Nitty and Capone Publishing, R. Kelly Publishing, Inc., White Rhino Music, Inc. (2).

The evening culminated in the ICON tribute to Al Green, who was honored during the dinner with performances by BMI artists Kany� West, Pharrell, Sleepy Brown, Claudette Ortiz and Lloyd. Born in Forest City, Ark., Green blends southern gospel, Philadelphia soul, and a soaring, sensual voice to create music that has rocked our world for four decades. Ranked by many as the world's greatest living soul artist, he became an international superstar through such self-written hits as "Let's Stay Together," "I'm Still in Love With You," "Call Me," "Love and Happiness," "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" and "Tired of Being Alone." Green is in the midst of a remarkable comeback, thanks to his current Blue Note album, I Can't Stop, which reunites him with producer/arranger/songwriting collaborator Willie Mitchell, who first signed Green to the Memphis-based Hi label and oversaw the singer's seminal string of '70s smashes.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer joins an impressive list of previous ICON honorees including country songwriter/artists Bill Anderson and Dolly Parton; R&B legends James Brown, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Bo Diddley; "Soul Man" Isaac Hayes; Motown songwriting trio Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland; and pop songwriting master Brian Wilson.

In addition to the BMI performance awards, music trade magazine Billboard recognized the BMI-affiliated writers who had #1 songs on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Rap Tracks charts during the past year; Kany� West led with four songs, two of which topped both lists.

BMI annually honors the songwriters and music publishers of the most performed songs on American radio in the urban, pop, country, Latin and Christian genres.

Delta is the official airline of BMI's 2004 Urban Awards.

Evanescence

The White Stripes

Rock band Evanescence also topped this year's list, picking up five nominations including Best New Artist and Best Rock Album for their multi-platinum breakthrough release, Fallen. Other five-time nominees were rapper Eminem and the late Warren Zevon. Also receiving multiple nods were Willie Nelson, Jack White of The White Stripes (three with his band and one individual), and classical composer Jose Serebrier with four each and Christina Aguilera with three, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her smash hit, "Beautiful."

Willie Nelson

Eminem

Warren Zevon

The 46th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2004, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. on the East and West Coasts.

BMI's Grammy Nominees

SIX NOMINATIONS
Pharrell Williams

FIVE NOMINATIONS
Eminem
Evanescence
Chad Hugo
Warren Zevon

FOUR NOMINATIONS
Willie Nelson
José Serebrier
The White Stripes

THREE NOMINATIONS
Christina Aguilera
Jeff Bass
Michael Brecker
Chick Corea
Anthony Hamilton
Alison Krauss
Lil' Kim
Shania Twain

TWO NOMINATIONS
Audioslave
Black Eyed Peas
Jorge Calderón
Ry Cooder
Foo Fighters
Fountains of Wayne
Aretha Franklin
Rich Harrison
Heather Headley
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Toby Keith
R. Kelly
k.d. lang (SOCAN)
The Matrix
Martina McBride
Aaron Neville
Nickelback (SOCAN)
Pink
Neal Pogue
Earl Scruggs
Wayne Shorter
Snoop Dogg
Sting (PRS)
Union Station
Doc Watson
will.i.am
John Williams
Lucinda Williams

ONE NOMINATION
Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Akwid
Allman Brothers Band
Audio Adrenaline
Marcia Ball
Luther Barnes & the Sunset Jubilaires
Buju Banton (PRS)
Mark Batson
Steve Berkowitz
Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones
Carla Bley Big Band
Blind Boys of Alabama
Blue Highway
Michelle Branch
Randy Brecker
Brooks & Dunn
David Bowie (PRS)
Joe Budden
Jimmy Buffett
Martin Buttrich (GEMA)
Café Tacuba
Michel Camilo
Cam'Ron
Caribbean Jazz Project
Rosanne Cash
Stanley Clarke
Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
The Crabb Family
The Crusaders
Sam Cooke
Adrian Cosentini
Diamond Rio
Ani DiFranco
Reggie Dozier
Jimmy Douglass
Eagles
Fred Ebb
Kurt Elling
Scotty Emerick
The Flaming Lips
Floetry
Bill Frisell
Kenny G
Vince Gill
Gorillaz (PRS)
Percy Gray, Jr.
Buddy Guy
Eddie Gonzalez
Jimmy Gonzalez y El Grupo Mazz
Pat Green
Stephan Haeri
William Hamilton
Roy Hargrove
Faith Hill
Dave Holland Quintet
Eric Idle (PRS)
India
Intocable
Jane's Addiction
Etta James
Keith Jarrett
Jars of Clay
Norah Jones
The Jordanaires
John Kander
Peter Kater
John P. Kee
Garrison Keillor
Kitaro (JASRAC)
Korn
Dave Koz
Nathaniel Kunkel
Patti LaBelle
Amel Larrieux
Glenn Lewis
Mark Levine
Linkin Park
The Light Crust Doughboys
Lonestar
Irving Lorenzo
Patty Loveless
Luis Miguel
Timo Maas (GEMA)
Marilyn Manson
Masters at Work
Donnie McClurkin
Del McCoury Band
Tim McGraw
Sarah McLachlan (SOCAN)
Jim McNeely
Joel McNeely
Pat Metheny
Bette Midler
Ismael Miranda
Molotov
Joel Moss
Newsboys
Bob Norberg
Les Nubians (SACEM)
The Oak Ridge Boys
Walter Ostanek (SOCAN)
Joe Pace
Dolly Parton
Nicholas Payton
Ray Price
Queens of the Stone Age
Eugene Record
Relient K
Don Rollins
Roomful of Blues
The Roots
Scott Rouse
David Sanborn
Pete Seeger
The Sensational Nightingales
Thomas Z. Shepard
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Sean Smith
Luciana Souza
Los Straitjackets
Micheal Strange, Jr.
Jimmy Sturr
Howard Tate
Susan Tedeschi
Télépopmusik (SACEM)
Jacky Terrasson
Los Tigres Del Norte
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
Caetano Veloso
Rhonda Vincent
Redd Volkaert
Muddy Waters
Charlie Wilson
Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Kim Wilson
Vickie Winans
George Winston
Wayne Wonder
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Yerba Buena
Maury Yeston
Yellowjackets

BMI saluted the top R&B, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 2003 Urban Awards, staged last night (8/5) at Club Tropigala at the Fontainebleau Hilton Resorts & Towers in Miami. The black-tie ceremony was hosted by BMI President and CEO Frances W. Preston, with Executive Vice President Del Bryant and Assistant Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton. Top honors went to Murder Inc. President Irv Gotti, who earned his second Urban Songwriter of the Year award; the #1 smash "Hot in Herre" was named Song of the Year, and EMI Music Publishing took home its third consecutive Urban Publisher of the Year trophy. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo from famed production duo, The Neptunes, were named BMI Urban Producers of the Year.

BMI Urban Awards Event Photos

BMI Urban Awards Song List

Irv Gotti

Pharrell Williams

Chad Hugo

A special highlight of the gala evening featured a salute to soul music legend Isaac Hayes, who was honored as a BMI ICON for his enduring influence on generations of music makers. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was honored during the dinner with an all-star musical tribute that featured stellar performances by BMI artists Bilal, Floetry, and Anthony Hamilton, among others. From the instantly recognizable beats of the "Theme From Shaft," to the Sam and Dave classic hit "Hold On! I'm Comin'," the Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer and singer continues to impact music and is widely sampled by some of today's biggest rap, hip-hop, and R&B artists.

Isaac Hayes

Bilal

Floetry

The BMI Urban Songwriter of the Year trophy went to rap mogul Irv Gotti, who placed nine titles on the most performed list. Songs earning him the crown included the Ja Rule hits "Always On Time" (feat. Ashanti), "Down 4 U" (feat. Vita, Ashanti, and Charli Baltimore), "Down A** Chick" (feat. Charli Baltimore) and "Livin' It Up" (feat. Case), as well as "Rainy Dayz" (Mary J. Blige feat. Ja Rule), "What's Luv?" (Fat Joe feat. Ja Rule and Ashanti), and "Baby," "Foolish," and "Happy," all recorded by Murder Inc. artist Ashanti. This is the second Urban Songwriter of the Year award for Gotti; he shared the spotlight last year with five others. Gotti was also named BMI's Pop Songwriter of the Year at the May 14 ceremony in Los Angeles, bringing his total BMI Awards to 19.

Anthony Hamilton

Ja Rule

Charli Baltimore

In addition to Gotti, several other writers earned multiple awards including Ja Rule with six; Pharrell Williams with four; and Charli Baltimore, Jeff I. Bass, Cam'Ron, Eminem and Mario Winans, who each placed two songs on the most performed list.

Song of the Year "Hot in Herre," co-written by BMI songwriters Charles L. Brown and Pharrell Williams, and published by Ascent Music, Inc., EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc., Nouveau Music Company, Swing T Publishing and Waters of Nazareth Publishing, spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The infectious number one hit was last summer's party anthem and is still heating up at radio and on the dance floor as well.

Jeff I. Bass

Cam'Ron

Eminem

Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, better known as The Neptunes, were feted as Producers of the Year with a performance from multi-platinum artist (and fellow Top 10 Songwriter/Producer) R. Kelly. The hit-making production and songwriting team has collaborated with the A-list in urban music, from Snoop Dogg to Busta Rhymes to Justin Timberlake, with titles including "Beautiful," "Pass the Courvoisier Part II," and "Rock Your Body." Rounding out the BMI Top 10 Urban Producers list were Songwriter of the Year Irv Gotti, rapper Eminem, Big Tymers' Mannie Fresh, Cash Money's Jazze Pha, Trackmasters' Poke, producer Cory Rooney and Hitmen Production's Mario Winans.

Mario Winans

Charles L. Brown

R. Kelly

EMI Music Publishing picked up its third consecutive Urban Publisher of the Year award by placing 11 songs on the most performed list, including Song of the Year, "Hot in Herre." This is the thirteenth top BMI Publisher honor awarded to EMI since 1989 in all genres of music. Other multiple award-winning publishers included Ensign Music Corporation (10), D J Irv Publishing (9), Universal Music Publishing (8), Slavery Music (6), Waters of Nazareth Publishing (4), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (3), and Careers-BMG Music/Zomba Songs, Eight Mile Style Music, Inky Sisi Music, Janice Combs Music, Killa Cam Music, Marsky Music, Songs of DreamWorks, SPZ Music, Inc., and Taking Care of Business Music (2).

In addition to the song, publisher and producer awards, music trade magazine Billboard announced the names of the BMI-affiliated writers who had #1 songs on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Rap Tracks charts during the past year. Among the winners were Producer of the Year Pharrell Williams, who placed two songs on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart, and the #1 hit "Dilemma," which reached the peak position on both Billboardcharts. The BMI Urban Awards 2003 is the kick-off event to the 4th Annual Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Conference and Awards, taking place in Miami Beach August 6-8.

Among other songwriters, producers and artists confirmed to attend are multiple-platinum recording artist R. Kelly, Ja Rule, Irv Gotti, Rodney Jerkins, Chad Hugo, Mario Winans, Big Tymers, Lil Wayne, Charli Baltimore, Nappy Roots, Angie Stone and Jazze Pha. Additional names will be released as they are confirmed.

The BMI Urban Awards will recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-played urban songs on US radio and television. An Urban Song of the Year, Urban Songwriter of the Year and Urban Publisher of the Year will be announced that night. In addition to the song awards, BMI will also honor the Top Urban Producers of 2002-2003 and the BMI writers whose songs hit #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop and Rap charts.]]> 2003-07-27T18:00:00-05:00