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Patti LaBelle Named BMI Icon at the 2017 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards

Published

9 years ago

September 1, 2017

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Micheal Walker/Umeek Images

PATTI LABELLE NAMED BMI ICON AT THE
2017 BMI R&B/HIP-HOP AWARDS

DJ Khaled, Future, and Rihanna tied for Songwriter of the Year;
“Me, Myself & I” named Song of the Year; Metro Boomin awarded Producer of the Year and Universal Music Publishing Group presented with Publisher of the Year

Last night, Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) celebrated the songwriters, producers and publishers of the year’s most-performed R&B/hip-hop songs during the 2017 BMI R&B/Hip-HopAwards held at The Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall in Atlanta. Multiple Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Patti LaBelle took home the night’s highest honor as BMI Icon in recognition of her distinguished career, spanning more than 50 years.

Hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton with Lifestyle Specialist Kenny Burns as co-host, the evening included stellar performances by some of the hottest talent on the music scene. The night kicked off with Atlanta’s own Big Boi from OutKast performing a medley of two of their biggest hits, “B.O.B.” and “GhettoMusick.” Hip-hop brother duo Ayo and Teo went on to give a dynamic performance of their Billboard Hot 100 hit song “Rolex,” before Keke Palmer and BMI’s Wardell Malloy named Detroit-based rapper Kash Doll BMI’s Social Star, voted on by fans across BMI’s Instagram and Twitter accounts. Jacquees serenaded the audience with his Billboard R&B charting single, “B.E.D.” while Rick Ross kept the energy flowing with a medley of his biggest hits including “Hustlin,’” “Trap, Trap, Trap” and “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast).”

The second half of the evening featured an array of outstanding tribute performances honoring Patti LaBelle beginning with BMI Trailblazers of Gospel Music honoree, BeBe Winans singing his beautiful version of Ms. LaBelle’s number one single duet with Michael McDonald, “On My Own.” Next up, Avery Sunshine gave a moving rendition of “Love, Need and Want You.” The tributes continued with Gospel vocalist Kierra Sheard’s powerful performance of “When You’ve Been Blessed,” followed by Tasha Cobbs-Leonard singing the classic hit, “You Are My Friend.” Sheard joined Cobbs-Leonard to finish the song, and together they brought the crowd to their feet. Closing out the night, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Ledisi gave an energetic performance of the massive classic hit, “Lady Marmalade” before calling Ms. LaBelle to the stage where she gave an impromptu performance of “Over the Rainbow” and thanked those who paid tribute to her throughout the evening.

The show also honored the songwriters of the 35 best-performing R&B/Hip-Hop songs in the U.S. from BMI’s repertoire of over 12 million musical works. Metro Boomin took home the Producer of the Year award for the second year in a row and the coveted Song of the Year honor went to “Me, Myself & I” written by Tom Barnes, Lauren Christy, Michael Keenan and Bebe Rexha. Universal Music Publishing Group claimed Publisher of the Year and hitmakers Future, DJ Khaled and Rihanna tied for Songwriter of the Year.

As a BMI Icon, Ms. LaBelle joined an elite group of songwriters who have received BMI’s Icon Award for their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” Previous recipients include Nile Rodgers, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, James Brown, Al Green and Snoop Dogg, among others.

The event was sponsored by the Swisher Sweets Artist Project which increases awareness and exposure for emerging musical talent.

For a complete list of 2017 winners, visit bmi.com.

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Rocky Kramer’s Rock & Roll Tuesdays Presents “The Black Parade” On Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 7 PM PT on Twitch

Published

5 days ago

October 11, 2026

Jimmy Star

Rocky Kramer will be hosting “The Black Parade” on this week’s episode of Rocky Kramer’s Rock & Roll Tuesdays on Twitch. Tune into Twitch on Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 at 7 PM PT for this amazing show.

Rocky Kramer is a guitar virtuoso, often being compared to the greatest guitar players in the world. Rocky has performed on shows with some of the greatest musicians on the planet including Ozzy Osbourne, John Lodge, Steve Vai, Leland Sklar, Kenny Aronoff, Tommy James, Verdeen White, Ten Years After, BuckCherry, Rick Wakeman and more.

Rocky’s first studio album, “Firestorm” is now available worldwide through Allied Artists Music Group, together with an epic music video of his #1 Global DRT Chart topper single, “Rock Star”, that also picked up a Best Rock Performance nod at the 2019 Hollywood Music In Media Awards (“HMMA”).

Rocky Kramer recently returned to the studio to record his sophomore album “Alone In The Rain” which will be released soon!!!

Rocky Kramer was recently cast in The Mutt Productions/ Allied Artists rock n’ roll time travel comedy adventure “Rockin’ In Time” where he will play the film’s lead character, Lars Olsen. The film is being directed by Aaron Lee Lopez (of the “Teenage Girl” franchise) and is being produced by multi-platinum and six-time Grammy Award winning musician turned motion picture producer, Kurt Wipfli.

Rocky Kramer is now the new lead guitarist in Prescott Niles’ new revival of the legendary band The Knack. Known worldwide for their smash hit “My Sharona,” The Knack helped define the sound of late-1970s power pop and rock. Decades later, the band’s influence continues to resonate with fans and musicians across generations. With Rocky Kramer now joining the lineup, the band is poised to introduce that legacy to a new era of audiences while honoring the spirit that made them legendary.

Watch Rocky Kramer’s “Rock Star” Music Video here: