Thursday evening was a big night for Mike Will Made It and Warner/Chappell Music. The songwriter/producer was named songwriter of the year and his publishing firm was crowned publisher of the year at the 27th annual ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards. Held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, the ceremony also featured special presentations honoring artist/songwriter/producer Jermaine Dupri and singer/songwriter/producer Ne-Yo, recipients of ASCAP’s prestigious Founders Award and Golden Note Award, respectively.
Nabbing the award for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Song was Blurred Lines, penned by Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke and T.I. On the gospel front, the top most-performed song was Testimony, written by singer Anthony Brown.
The evening’s highlight was the presentation of the Founders Award to Dupri featuring surprise performers Bow Wow and Usher. Sending women running to the front of the room with a brief performance of his Dupri co-written and co-produced hit Confessions Part II, Usher noted that Dupri “puts his heart and time into his songs; they’re real. Without JD, I would never have become a writer my damn self.”
A tuxedoed Dupri said the honor had “seemed like it was too far away for me to catch” after watching former recipients like Quincy Jones and Steve Wonder accept the award.
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