Nas and Kendrick Lamar represented two generations of hip-hop excellence as the 2026 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards celebrated influential veterans alongside some of today’s biggest hitmakers in Los Angeles.
Nas received the BMI Icon Award, the ceremony’s highest honor, recognizing a career that has helped define lyrical craftsmanship and storytelling in hip-hop for more than three decades.
The celebration of Nas brought together artists with connections to his musical journey. R&B veteran Evelyn “Champagne” King performed “I’m in Love” and “Love Come Down,” while Babyface helped honor the rapper’s influence and Large Professor closed the tribute with a DJ set featuring highlights from Nas’ catalog.
While Nas represented hip-hop’s enduring legacy, Kendrick Lamar continued adding to his remarkable run of contemporary achievements.
Lamar was named BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year after receiving recognition for his work on six of the previous year’s most-performed songs: “30 For 30,” “hey now,” “peekaboo,” “squabble up,” “tv off” and “luther.”
The honors did not stop there.
“luther,” Lamar’s collaboration with SZA, earned BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year. The song had already established itself as a major chart success, spending 23 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. That run surpassed the previous 22-week record held by another Lamar hit, “Not Like Us.”
The ceremony also put the spotlight on the producers and publishers helping shape today’s R&B and hip-hop landscape.
O Lil Angel was named Producer of the Year, while D’Mile, Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac “Zac” De Boni of FNZ, and Jahaan Sweet were among the producers receiving additional recognition.
Sony Music Publishing claimed Publisher of the Year after representing 27 songs included among the previous year’s most-performed works honored by BMI.
The evening extended beyond its headline winners. BMI recognized 63 first-time winners among the creators behind its 35 most-performed R&B and hip-hop songs, highlighting another wave of writers and producers making their mark on the industry.
There was also a moment of remembrance for the late songwriter and producer Tay Keith. His family took the stage to accept his 2025 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year honor, which had been announced the previous year.
Before the main ceremony, songwriter and producer Rijah Banerjee became the first recipient of the BMI Foundation Babyface Award.
With Nas receiving an honor built around lasting influence and Lamar taking the night’s top songwriting recognition, the ceremony offered a fitting snapshot of hip-hop’s continuing evolution. One artist was celebrated for helping establish the standard, while another demonstrated how high that standard continues to climb.
