NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 30, 2006--U.S. performing right organization BMI saluted the premier r&b, rap and hip-hop songwriters, producers and publishers at its 6th Annual Urban Awards held Aug. 30 in New York City. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Atlanta Writer/Publisher VP Catherine Brewton, the red carpet was hopping at the star-studded ceremony, which took place at the famed Roseland Ballroom.

Mariah Carey took home two of the night's top honors, including Song of the Year for her smash "We Belong Together" and Songwriter of the Year, which she shared with Miami-based producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin. A highlight of the gala event was a special presentation to prolific songwriting and production team Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid, who were named BMI Icons for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers."

Other big winners included rapper Kanye West, who earned the Producer of the Year title for the second consecutive year; Warner/Chappell Music Group, named Urban Publisher of the Year; and Jazze Pha's "1, 2 Step," which nabbed the BMI Urban Ringtone Award. Executives from music trade magazine Billboard were also on hand to give out No. 1 Awards to the BMI songs that reached the top spot on its urban music charts.

Song of the Year "We Belong Together," which Carey co-wrote, ruled the top of multiple charts for months after its release in 2005, relaunching the five-octave singer's career back into superstardom. Carey also picked up her third BMI Songwriter of the Year award at the ceremony for placing three songs on the most-performed list ("Don't Forget About Us," "Shake It Off," "We Belong Together"). She shared the songwriter spotlight with Dirty South producers Bigg D and Jim Jonsin, who also had three songs on the most-played list with the co-writes "Let's Go" by Trick Daddy (featuring Lil Jon & Twista), and Pretty Ricky's "Grind With Me" and "Your Body."

Seven-time BMI Songwriter of the Year Babyface and Island Def Jam Chairman L.A. Reid then took the stage to accept their BMI Icon honors. With more than a dozen Grammys between them, including the Producer of the Year crown they shared in 1993, the LaFace Records co-founders are responsible for launching the careers of such multi-platinum artists as Toni Braxton, TLC, Usher and Pink. The list of stars that the hitmaking pair has worked with -- both together and individually -- includes Madonna, Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Eric Clapton, Boyz II Men, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Outkast, Dido, Ciara, Jay-Z, and Songwriter of the Year Mariah Carey.

BMI Producer of the Year honors went to Kanye West for the second year in a row. The BMI Top 10 Urban Producers list also included Mr. Collipark, Pharrell Williams, Lil Jon, R. Kelly, Sean Garrett, Jazze Pha, Cool & Dre, Rodney Jerkins, and Songwriters of the Year Bigg D and Jim Jonsin.

Warner/Chappell Music Group was named BMI Urban Publisher of the Year by scoring the highest percentage of copyright ownership in award songs.

"1, 2 Step," written by BMI Top 10 Urban Producer Jazze Pha and published by Bubba Gee Music, Noontime Tunes and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., received the BMI Urban Ringtone Award for tallying the most downloads during the award period.

In addition to the BMI performance awards, Billboard recognized the BMI-affiliated writers whose songs reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Hot 100 charts during the past year. Kanye West's "Gold Digger," featuring Jamie Foxx and writing credits by Renald Richard and the late Ray Charles, topped all four charts.

BMI is an American performing right organization that represents more than 300,000 songwriters, composers and publishers in all genres of music, with a repertoire of more than 6.5 million musical works from around the world.

For a complete list of 2006 BMI Urban Awards winners, please visit bmi.com/urban. High-resolution photos from the event will be available at press.bmi.com. To request access, please contact mediarelations@bmi.com.

BMI
Hanna Pantle, 310-289-6328 
hpantle@bmi.com