The BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards are moving to Atlanta this year.
The award ceremony, now in its 15th year, will take place at Symphony Hall Sept. 1. BMI President and CEO Mike O'Neill and BMI Vice President of Writer/Publisher Relations Catherine Brewton will host.
Toni Braxton , whose robust career is rooted in Atlanta from the days of L.A. Reid and Babyface, will receive the BMI President's Award in recognition of her career and influence on pop music the past 25 years. Recent recipients include Ludacris and Will.i.am.
“We are proud to bring the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards to Atlanta for the first time and to honor Toni Braxton with our President’s Award,” said Brewton in a statement. “As one of the top-selling R&B artists of all time, combined with her philanthropic efforts, I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition.”
Though the award ceremony - which has taken place in New York and L.A. in previous years - is not open to the public, music fans can participate in the BMI Social Star contest, which aims to find the songwriter with the most engaged social media audience. Voting begins Aug. 15. Fans can vote for their favorite by using BMI's Instagram and Twitter accounts. The songwriter with the most likes and use of a specialized Twitter hashtag will win. Previous victors include Mac Miller, Machine Gun Kelly and Zendaya.
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