ASCAP has revealed the winners of the 34th annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The event has gone virtual for the second year in a row, broadcasting on the ASCAP social media platforms.
It was revealed that Lil Baby was awarded the Songwriter of the Year for his songs, including “The Bigger Picture,” “Baby,” “For The Night,” “Emotionally Scarred,” and more. The Grammy-nominated artist has dominated since his debut in 2017. 2020’s My Turn debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
As we previously reported, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, and D-Nice were presented the Voice of the Culture Award for their collective influence on music and culture, especially during the pandemic.
The Top Hip-Hop/R&B & Rap Song award is presented to writers Anderson “Vinylz” Hernandez, Che Ecru, Joshua “J-Louis” Huizar, Matthew “Boi-1da” Samuels, and Noah “40” Shebib for their work on Chris Brown’s “No Guidance,” which features Drake. The song spent 27 weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and was nominated for the Best R&B Song Grammy.
Top Gospel song is awarded to Kanye West’s “Follow Good” from his Jesus Is King album. Universal Music Publishing Group received the Publisher of the Year to recognize the successful year their songwriters have had.
The awards wrap up on Thursday, with an in memoriam segment celebrating the life and achievements of DMX. There will also be a Deconstructed session with producer Jetsonmade, a tour of the SoSo Def studios with Jermaine Dupri, and a closing Club Quarantine set by D-Nice.
