Drake and Lil Wayne top BMI Urban Awards
Sept. 8, 2012, 4:50 AM EST
WENN
Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey were among the prizewinners at
the 2012 BMI Urban Awards on Friday night.
Rap collaborators Drake and Lil Wayne shared the night's top award when
they were named Urban Songwriters of the Year during the ceremony at the Saban
Theatre in Beverly Hills, California, while Minaj's hit track Super Bass was
named Urban Song of the Year. Andrew 'Pop' Wansel, who has worked with Lil
Wayne, Britney Spears and Minaj, was handed the Urban Producer of the Year
trophy, and the evening also included a tribute to Carey, who was named BMI Icon
for her "indelible influence on generations of music makers".
A number of stars performed Carey's hits including Karen Clark Sheard, who
sang Anytime You Need a Friend, Eric Benet (One Sweet Day) and Fantasia Barrino,
who performed Hero. Carey later thanked the performers "for doing something so
beautiful with the songs I wrote,'' adding, "I'm so humbled by this moment
because a lot of people still don't know I write my own
songs."
