The 2018 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards held at The Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall in Atlanta brought out some of the best and brightest music stars to honor global superstar Janet Jackson as the BMI Icon, in recognition of her groundbreaking career as one of the most influential entertainers of all time.
As an annual ceremony, the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards celebrated the songwriters, producers, and publishers of the year’s most-performed R&B/hip-hop songs. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Creative, Atlanta Catherine Brewton, with Lifestyle Specialist Kenny Burns as co-host, the evening included stellar performances by some of the hottest artists on the music scene.
The tribute portion of the evening kicked off with Ciara introducing the 411 Dance Troupe, comprised of 50 kids from all over the South, as they performed a dance routine choreographed by Sean Bankhead, who has worked with Janet Jackson for many years.
The Janet Jackson ICON performances included H.E.R who performed a medley of “Black Cat” on guitar and sang “Any Time, Any Place.” Jussie Smollett from the FOX smash, “Empire” followed with “That’s the Way Love Goes,” Justine Skye sang a beautiful version of “Let’s Wait Awhile” and Normani had the audience grooving to “The Pleasure Principle.” Teyana Taylor closed out the tribute performances with a sultry rendition of Jackson’s hit, “I Get Lonely,” followed by Missy Elliot who made a surprise appearance and spoke eloquently about her relationship with Jackson while quoting her lyrics throughout the touching speech.
View snippets of the performances and photos from the Red Carpet.
