SPECIAL AWARDS
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD
AMANDA GORMAN
Amanda appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in February 2021 and was the first poet to grace the cover of Vogue in their May 2021 issue. She was Porter Magazine’s July 2021 cover star and received The Artist Impact Award at the 2021 Backstage at the Geffen Awards. Amanda was one of 5 Variety Power of Women honorees and cover star, as well one of 3 cover stars for Glamour’s Women of the Year. Amanda signed a three-year long partnership with Estee Lauder, becoming their very first Global Changemaker. The partnership inspired Writing Change, an initiative to support grassroots organizations dedicated to advancing literacy as a pathway to equality, access, and social change, through the power of young voices. She also was featured in Prada’s fine jewelry ‘Eternal Gold’ campaign featuring accessories made out of 100% certified recycled gold as an extension of the house’s commitment to sustainability. The special edition of her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” her debut picture book, Change Sings, and her poetry collection Call Us What We Carry, were published in 2021 and all debuted at #1 on New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Her latest children’s book, Something, Someday, was released in September 2023 and was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Please visit https://amandagormanbooks.com/ for more information.
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HALL OF FAME AWARD
NEW EDition
In 1983, the New Edition phenomenon was born in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the launch pad for the signature idiom “Ronnie-Bobby-Ricky-Mike-and-Ralph” and has turned into their American music lexicon for life. In 1986 Bobby Brown left the group to begin a highly charged solo career. Soon thereafter, solo artist Johnny Gill joined the group. New Edition grew stronger than ever with “NE Heartbreak” their biggest selling album to date boasting three #1 songs. In 1989, NE orchestrated one of music’s biggest coups by simultaneously launching Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill’s solo albums, while Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe became a high-octane trio introducing a brand new sound as Bell-Biv-DeVoe. BBD spawned the worldwide, 4-times platinum, cross-over smash hit “Poison”. Between the various NE branch projects, a cumulative 30 million plus records have been sold. Together, the men of NE dominated the Billboard Charts, MTV, VH-1, BET and venues across the country.
As New Edition has continued to blaze an indelible trail throughout the music industry by touring the world and recording new music. They’ve also slowed down just enough to receive and smell their roses by being honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from both Soul Train and BET. In 2017 the group added an Executive Producer credit to its resumes when they released the self-told, ground-breaking biopic “The New Edition Story.” Premiering on the BET Networks, the 3-night mini-series was viewed by a record 29 million unique viewers.
Today, the group is still going strong! New Edition has broken records with the most sold-out performances across the map. “The Culture Tour” was named the #1 R&B concert of 2022; which featured Charlie Wilson and Jodeci. In 2023, they delivered even more sold-out shows with the 31 city “Legacy Tour” with R&B legends Guy, Keith Sweat and Tank.
After celebrating 40 years in the business, this super group has no plans on slowing down. New Edition is officially a branded “movement”. They have turned the typical boy-band into an R&B mega-group. With their larger-than-life on-stage personas, NE remains at the top of their game.
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lifetime achievement AWARD
frankie beverly
Year after year award-winning, gold and platinum selling artists hit the road to promote the newest project and to take advantage of the publicity they are generating with new singles and red hot exposure. They are running to maximize the moment and “strike while the iron is hot!” And then there are the rare giants whose name on a marquee fills the seats, because of the music. Those are few. But even in a world of legends and icons, there is only one Frankie Beverly. The front man and lead singer, songwriter and producer for the indomitable Frankie Beverly and Maze is walking into his golden time of day, with nearly 50 years of success. He formed the group “Raw Soul” in Philly in 1970, moved to the West Coast, San Francisco specifically, to take a chance on music and a chance connection with the undisputable soul stirrer Marvin Gaye. The Motown master would take the group under his wing and it was Gaye who suggested the group change their name. Frankie Beverly and Maze
was born.
“We are one no matter what we do” – WE ARE ONE
From 1977 until 1993, Frankie Beverly and Maze went on a stomp through the music industry, with hit after hit, including JOY AND PAIN, GOLDEN TIME OF DAY, WE ARE ONE, HAPPY FEELIN’S, SOUTHERN GIRL and the song that has been touted as the unofficial theme of Summer and any gathering of people who have come to party—BEFORE I LET GO! The song is so synonymous with Black Culture and “the cookout” that The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige recorded it for the tribute project SILKY SOUL MUSIC: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE TO Frankie Beverly and Maze in 2009 and it rose to the top again, in 2017, when Beyonce, the hottest artist in the WORLD, recorded the song for her multi platinum selling album and Netflix documentary “Homecoming.” and closed out her phenomenal game changing performance at Coachella (the California-based arts and music festival that had never been headlined by a Black woman). woman). Queen B could have selected any one of her own iconic hits for such a moment, but instead, she chose the multi-generational cultural anthem BEFORE I LET GO! “She kept it quiet, until her people called me one day…when they played it, I was blown away. This is one of the high points of my life,” said Beverly about the Beyoncé rendition. The soul stamp that Frankie Beverly—musician, songwriter, producer, singer—has emblazoned on the culture like a tattoo, is indisputable. The prolific Nile Rogers, the producer/songwriter responsible for megahits by Chic, Daft Punk and Diana Ross, called Frankie Beverly and Maze “road warriors.” He added, “You can’t pick up a newspaper or anything without seeing their name anywhere in the world.”
“I’ve got myself to remind me of love” – HAPPY FEELIN’S
Frankie Beverly and Maze is a giant of the touring landscape, in the company of rock-and-roll luminaries like The Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Diamond, that small breed of live performers who sell more tickets than they do albums because they don’t live in the recording studio, trying to make hits. They live for the road.
The music of Frankie Beverly and Maze has been sampled hundreds of times, re-recorded as covers dozens of times and even remixed by noted DJ’s. But what many don’t know is that Frankie Beverly isn’t just the lead singer. With the exception of “JOY AND PAIN,” on which he shared co-writing credits, Frankie Beverly has written ALL of the hits that have made Frankie Beverly and Maze live music juggernauts, titans who can sell out theaters and arenas with no new music! Their musical experience of Frankie Beverly and Maze is the feel good soundtrack of the soul and the center of Black Culture. And it is intentional. “The music is unique because of love. It’s got to be love. There’s bigger stuff going on. There’s other things going on in the background. We have a helper!” Frankie Beverly is clear that the music is motivated and motivational. “We are going to get down and we are going to have a good time.” Actress and singer Naturi Naughton (star of television’s POWER and the motion picture CALL HER KING) said with glee that “not too many get to make music that transcends generations and their music continues to transcend.”
“You know I think the sun rises and shines on you” – BEFORE I LET GO
Frankie Beverly is a purist, who took a masterful piece of advice from Marvin Gaye, who told him when he was trying to put together a deal for the group. “He said go ahead and do your thing because if I get a good song, I’m not gonna give it to you.” Beverly laughs as he tells the story because he originally wrote “THE MORNING AFTER” for Anita Baker and then realized what Gaye was saying about not being able to give away a great song. Few in history can claim they have written 100% of the songs they perform. The lyrics come from his heart. The music produced from his soul. The result: a sound uniquely and undeniably Frankie Beverly. But there is no question that Frankie Beverly brings his whole being to the stage for his marathon performances and his devoted fans.
He is not elusive or elitist. Frankie Beverly is here, still, in the game of music, for the music. He ministers through his music. HE is the vessel. You can hear the influence of artists/producers like Babyface or Prince in the other artists they’ve brought along because they’ve poured out upon so many others. They could have never done it all. But Frankie did it all himself, with the myriad of musicians he has called to work with him over the years and walk with him as he walked through the stages of life and community.
The dedicated lineup of musicians who played with him in recording sessions and who toured with him are Maze, but Frankie Beverly is like the Preacher and the Psalmist at the same time! Frankie Beverly is the The Ambassador Of Soul whose music can amplify the atmosphere of any celebration, but he’d rather take a quiet walk or hike near his California home, where his life is lively and vibrant but serene, peaceful. Frankie Beverly is a laid back guy who loves the golden time of day, where he can be still and centered after traveling around the globe and entertaining the masses. Beverly is known for his minimalism, even in his simple, elegant style on stage. He is the personification of a quiet storm. He is mellow, until he is not, and the music shifts and the waves that wash over Beverly and the audience, taking them all to that place where they are indeed One!
“It’s the kind of thing you can feel” – LOVE IS THE KEY
The magnitude of the music of Frankie Beverly and Maze can be heard in the ways that other artists love on and laud about the songs. The catalog of this music maverick is the stuff of greatness, lyrically and musically on par with The Beatles and Stevie Wonder and Kurt Carr and Donald Lawrence. Frankie Beverly’s music soothes and celebrates, causing the listener to cry and contemplate but always with a sense of ambience and joy. Beverly is the kind of genius who can read Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” and from the piece titled “On Joy and Sorrow,” give birth to “Joy and Pain,” the anthemic track that is just one of the songs that the audience takes over live, testifying after the preached, or in his case sung word. His world is as warm and familiar as his music.
The experience of Frankie Beverly and Maze is just like the man himself–spiritual, nearly religious, but to a place of musical meditation, a zen garden of sound that makes you stop, listen and receive. Frankie Beverly is genuinely a kind person, who tours so famously because touring always brings people together and in a social media age, his songs are having that same impact on TikTok and Instagram, looped under dancing youth who are dancing to the same songs that bring their parents and grandparents a special kind of joy. When speaking of his fans and what he hopes the people know about him and Maze and why they take the stage and create the music that feeds the culture across the ages, he offers this:
“We love them and the fans know it. It’s the real deal and our music speaks for itself!” – FRANKIE BEVERLY
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PRESIDENT'S Award
Usher
Usher Raymond IV began singing in his church choir when he was 6 years old. Two years after moving with his mother and brother to Atlanta, Usher performed on the hit show “Star Search” and landed a recording contract with LaFace Records soon after. He released his first, self-titled album in 1994, at age 15. Usher soon became known for his polished vocals, broad vocal range, chic style, sexy dance moves and sensual ballads.
Throughout his career, Usher has moved across several different musical genres, including R&B, blues and pop. Following his debut album, he released My Way in 1997. The album—including singles “Nice & Slow” and “You Make Me Wanna?” skyrocketed the young artist to fame, selling more than 7 million copies.
Usher released Usher Live in 1999, followed by 2001’s incredibly successful 8701, which included the No. 1 song “U Got It Bad,” as well as two Grammy Award–winning singles, “U Remind Me” and “U Don’t Have to Call.” More than 4 million copies of 8701 were sold in the United States alone.
Nearly a decade after making his first album, Usher released Confessions, which was extremely well-received. More than 1 million copies of the album were sold in its first week, and sales accumulated to nearly 20 million copies worldwide. The album included the songs “Burn,” “Confessions Part II” and “Yeah!”—a collaboration with with Ludacris and Lil Jon. By this time, Usher had an incredibly impressive track record: He had achieved 13 Top 20 hits, seven of which were No. 1 singles. In 2004, he was named “Artist of the Year” at the Billboard Music Awards. A year later, he received two People’s Choice Awards and three Grammy Awards (best contemporary R&B album, best R&B performance by a duo or group and best rap/sung collaboration).
Following the release of Raymond v. Raymond, Usher won two more Grammys, for best contemporary R&B album and best male R&B performance for “There Goes My Baby.” In all, the singer has won 17 Billboard Music Awards; eight Soul Train Music Awards; five Grammys; and nine awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, among other honors. In June 2012, he produced the album Looking 4 Myself, which found a No. 1 spot on Billboard’s albums chart.
Outside of music, Usher has worked as a film and stage actor. One of his earliest roles was in the teen horror film “The Faculty.” He went on to make guest appearances on several television shows, including a role as Marvin Gaye on the program “American Dreams.” In 2005, Usher played a disc jockey in the film “In the Mix,” and a year later, he landed the lead role of Billy Flynn the Broadway play “Chicago.”
In 2012, Usher was announced as one of the newest judges/coaches of “The Voice,” the popular singing-competition series on NBC. Along with Latin songstress Shakira, Usher made his Voice debut on March 25, 2013 (the season 4 premiere). Replacing Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera, Usher and Shakira starred on the show alongside returning judges/coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.
Usher soon won over TV viewers with his offbeat coaching style. Despite this success, he will sit out the fifth season of The Voice along with Shakira to make way for the return of Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera. But Usher and Shakira will return to their judges’ chairs for the sixth season.
Usher also stays busy with his charity, New Look Foundation, which was founded in 1999 and works to provide funding for children in foster care and service programs; holds conferences and camps for at-risk youth; and, ultimately, works to promote leadership skills for kids in impoverished communities. For his work with the nonprofit, Usher has received honors from such groups as the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Trumpet Foundation and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Additionally, Usher has invested in several entrepreneurial endeavors. He owns the record label US Records and a men’s cologne line, and is a co-owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.
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Vanguard Award
june ambrose
Over the course of three decades, June Ambrose — designer and creative director — has pioneered the visual aesthetic language which came to define hip hop imagery and culture. The role she inhabits within the fashion arena is a result of her own audacious self-making, professional moxie, and an unsurpassed mastery of visual storytelling and creative branding. She not only melded the genre but made it an undeniable commercial juggernaut, ushering entertainers onto the global stage and into the stratosphere.
When June began working in the music industry in the early 90’s, the American mainstream had been slow to embrace hip hop music and its practitioners. After a stint at Uptown MCA Records, she decided to try her hand at costuming artists for their music videos. Her tactical business mind — sharpened during her time as an investment banker — allied with creative verve and an ingrained understanding of the power of dress. Altogether, she worked as creative director and costume designer on some 200 music videos, countless ad campaigns, global music tours, photo shoots and red carpet appearances.
Pairing with figures like Hype Williams, she elevated the music video as an art form and established the artists as undeniable cultural and commercial juggernauts, pulling from forms as diverse as afro-futurism, anime, classic gangster flicks, and the joie de vivre of Carnival. The pastel hues and laser sharp tailoring on display in the Feelin It music video, the uncontained thrill and swagger of a rapper wearing his first custom suit. The grandeur of the historic, vinyl creation in I Can’t Stand The Rain short film, its proportions so ostentatious that the camera, and by extension the world, seem too small for its subject. June realized that the music video is, essentially, an advertisement. She used the form to not only craft sartorial splendors, but to highlight the then-untapped universal appeal of artists who had been shut out of broader commercial markets.
Where there had been a barrier June created a door, and luxury houses, couturiers, and global brands were eager to follow. Tom Ford, Gucci, Estee Lauder, MAC cosmetics and others were eager to align not only with the artists but with the woman whose marketing savvy first made them look like stars. Eventually the culture caught up to her, and as such June has partnered with brands as diverse as Levis, Target, Samsung, Walmart, Coca Cola, La Mer and AT&T. She authored Effortless Style, imparting career lessons on clothing as armor, intrigue, the importance of constructing a public image. She holds an advisory position at Estee Lauder, where her talent for consumer engagement and brand fidelity undergird the company’s spirit of innovation and inclusivity.
Working with GUCCI Changemakers, a global program focused on fostering unity through community action, June advises on the distribution of scholarships and social impact funding for diverse communities. For four years, she has also served on the board of the Fresh Air Fund, offering youth mentorship, fundraising, and helming the annual celebrity gala. Her latest history-making partnership is with PUMA, where she recently signed on as creative Director, designing across multiple categories, reconceptualizing what it means for women to be stylish and active. As a consummate collaborator: visionary, and tastemaker: June Ambrose’s influence is endemic to the very DNA of hip hop, fashion, and artistic visual culture.
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