When it comes to timeless anthems and epic beats, Pharrell Williams and Busta Rhymes go down in history as two of the greatest to ever do it. The success of hit collaborations like “Pass The Courvoisier” and “Light Your A** On Fire” have proved that the New York emcee and Virginia beat maker are a force to be reckoned with whenever they team up. On Wednesday, Pharrell paid homage to his friend and frequent collaborator at the 2022 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards by presenting him with the night’s Icon Award.
Busta Rhymes received the Icon award, Megan Thee Stallion and Christopher “YC” Pearson were named songwriters of the year and Justin Beiber’s “Peaches” was song of the year at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, held at Miami’s LIV nightclub on Wednesday night. Other top honors went to Sony Music Publishing as publisher of the year and Silk Sonic/ Drake/ H.E.R. collaborator Dernst “D’Mile” Emile was named producer of the year.
Before Busta joined him on stage, the Grammy Award winning producer introduced the Guinness Book of World Records holder, praising him for having one of the craziest video budgets of “all time,” while still being a dominate presence in the game today. “It was so f**** amazing to have this guy ignore me in a room,” Pharrell shared. “Listening to my beats. And one turned into a song for Kelis called ‘Caught Out There,’ and he listened.”
On receiving the honor, Rhymes shared, “We’re all blessed with this gift. It’s one thing to identify with the gift, it’s another thing to believe in it once you identify with it.” He went on to say, “The most beautiful part about it is I earned this… I’ve never been celebrated as an icon before, but I never had to question whether I was one.”
usta made his way on stage shortly after to receive his BMI Award, followed by an impromptu performance of “Pass The Courvoisier” alongside Pharrell. Last month, BMI Creative Catherine Brewton spoke about the 50-year old star being honored during the ceremony in press release, sharing, “As one of the pioneers of Hip Hop, we are excited to honor Busta Rhymes as a BMI Icon.” This year’s BMI R&B/Hip Hop took place at Liv Nightclub in Miami. Brewton added the special event, “We’re also thrilled to be back in person in Miami, celebrating our top music creators behind some of today’s most-performed songs. We’re looking forward to a fantastic night of great music.”
As the 2022 BMI Icon, Busta Rhymes joins previous honorees Janet Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers, Snoop Dogg, the Jacksons and many more. To view a full list of winners,
