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BMI R&B HIP HOP Awards honors Toni Braxton and others [PHOTOS]

Posted by | Ray Cornelius

Multi-Grammy winning singer-songwriter Toni Braxton was all smiles last night on the red carpet of BMI R&B Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, GA. The “Un-Break My Heart” vocalist was honored with this year’s coveted President’s Award for her 25 years in the entertainment industry. Other honorees included fellow Atlantan Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges and Will.i.am. The annual award ceremony recognizes the songwriters and publishers of the year’s most-performed R&B/hip-hop songs during the 2016 and took place at the prestigious Symphony Hall of The Woodruff Art Center.

Joining Braxton on the red carpet were her famous sisters—-Trina, Towanda and Traci—along with her not so little sons, Denim and Diezel. Her mother, father and brother were also in attendance while Tamar Braxton and Toni’s boyfriend, Birdman, joined them inside the auditorium.

The show was hosted by comedian Chris Tucker alongside BMI President & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations in Atlanta, Catherine Brewton and featured performances by some of the hottest talent in the music industry. Hip-hop heavyweight and mega producer DJ Khaled kicked off the show with his smash hit “All I Do Is Win” featuring Ludacris. Kent Jones, one of the year’s most buzzed about new artists, lived up to the hype when he rocked the mic with his smash single “Don’t Mind.” The momentum kept building when Rich Homie Quan hit the stage to perform his recent singles, “Type of Way” and “Flex (Ooh, Ooh, Ooh)” while Rae Sremmurd got the crowd moving with “No Type” and brand new single, “Black Beatles.”

The second half of the evening included an array of outstanding tribute performances honoring Toni Braxton beginning with Donald Lawrence & Company performing “You Mean the World to Me” and vocal powerhouse Yolanda Adams received a standing ovation with her moving rendition of “Un-Break My Heart.” Three of the Braxton sisters, Towanda, Traci, and Trina paid homage to their sister showcasing their incredible talent on “Breathe Again” and R&B chanteuse Ledisi wowed the audience with “Seven Whole Days.” After a moving introduction by L.A. Reid, Ms. Braxton took center stage for a spectacular performance of fan favorite, “He Wasn’t Man Enough” with her sisters on backing vocals.

Throughout the evening, the 35 best-performing R&B/Hip-Hop songs in the U.S. from BMI’s repertoire of over 10.5 million musical works were named along with Top Producers Awards going to Ben “Billions” Diehl and Southside. Top honors went to Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa for “See You Again” which claimed Song of the Year, Universal Music Publishing Group took home Publisher of the Year, and Metro Boomin was awarded Producer of the Year.

Check out all of the red carpet photos below:

CeeLo Green and Shani James

David “DDS” Smith and guest

Kandi and Todd Tucker

Frank Ski

VaShawn Mitchell

Tish Hyman

Pastor Troy

Rae Sremmurd

Mali Hunter

Rich Homie Quan

Heather and Isaac Hayes III

Ben Billion$ with DJ Khaled and BMI’s Catherine Brewton

Bobby V

Brandon “Donut” Bell

Angel McCoughtry and guest

Chris Tucker and Ludacris

Big K.R.I.T

Yolanda Adams, Darryl Simmons and Catherine Brewton

Jasmine Burke

Chris Tucker. Ludacris and Mike O’Neill

Derek J

Catherine Brewton with Stevie J and Marlo Hampton

Troy Taylor

Toni Braxton

Toni Braxton and her sons

Toni Braxton and her family

Photo Credits: RayCornelius.com

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Ben “Billions” DiehlBirdmanBMI R&B Hip Hop AwardsCatherine BrewtonDJ KhaledKent JonesL.A. ReidLedisiLudacrisMike O’NeillRae SremmurdRich Homie QuanTamar Braxtontoni braxtonTowanda BraxtonTrina BraxtonYolanda Adams