Sony Music Publishing has taken Publisher of the Year at the 2026 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, the second year in a row it has won the category. The award goes on volume: the publisher represented 27 of the past awards year's most-performed R&B and hip-hop songs in BMI's repertoire, four more than the 23 that won it the title last time. BMI held the ceremony on Wednesday, August 26 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, and Music Business Worldwide reported the results the next day.
The songs behind the count run across the top of the format: Timeless by The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, Like Him by Tyler, the Creator, Yukon by Justin Bieber, and 25, whose BMI-credited writers include Rod Wave and Tems.
Ari Gelaw, the publisher's SVP of creative A&R, pushed the credit outward. "This recognition belongs first and foremost to all SMP songwriter honorees and the incredible music they create," he said, calling the songs the reason for the work.
The night's biggest single was luther, the Kendrick Lamar and SZA collaboration, which took R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year. Its BMI-credited co-writers include Sony Music Publishing's Mark "Sounwave" Spears, Matthew "MTech" Bernard, Atia "INK" Boggs and Sam Dew, with Roselilah, Lamar and SZA also recognised as writers.
Lamar was named BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year, having co-written six of the year's most-performed songs: luther, 30 For 30, hey now, peekaboo, squabble up and tv off. BMI put luther at No. 2 on Billboard's 2025 year-end Hot 100 Songs chart and said it spent 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, one week past the record Lamar set with Not Like Us.
O Lil Angel took R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year, cited for Spider-Man Superman and Somebody Loves Me with Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Jahaan Sweet, signed to Sony Music Publishing, was among BMI's Top Producers alongside Dernst "D'Mile" Emile II and FNZ's Michael "Finatik" Mule and Isaac "Zac" De Boni. Nas received the BMI Icon Award, presented by Babyface. BMI's award season has been busy on other fronts too, with Johnny McDaid set to receive the President's Award, and Sony Music Publishing has kept signing, most recently adding Kinsley to its Nashville roster. More sits on the rnb-soul and hip-hop hubs.
The facts
- Sony Music Publishing won Publisher of the Year for the second year running
- It represented 27 of the year's most-performed songs, up from 23
- BMI held the ceremony on August 26 at the Fairmont Century Plaza
- luther by Kendrick Lamar and SZA took Song of the Year
- luther spent 23 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart
- Nas received the BMI Icon Award, presented by Babyface
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