Trailblazing record industry executive Sylvia Rhone received the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2026 BET Awards. The special award — honoring a groundbreaking career that includes her recent six-year tenure as chairman/CEO of Epic Records — was presented by Kelly Rowland.

Rowland recalled first meeting Rhone as one of the six members of Girls Tyme, the precursor to the Grammy-winning group Destiny’s Child. “Let me tell y’all, there we were standing before the same woman that worked with Metallica and signed Erykah Badu and Missy Elliott, just to name a few,” said Rowland. “I was nervous as hell; Sylvia has a particular aura that engulfs any room she walks in. Her vision, her drive and her commitment to create quality artists for the masses to enjoy is something only a true icon can do.”

Walking onstage accompanied by a standing ovation and to the tune of “Free Your Mind,” a hit by En Vogue — another act she mentored to fame — Rhone noted that while the award bears her name, “it really belongs to all of us who create culture.” Adding that’s she’s been “fortunate to spend my life around extraordinary artists,” she shouted out a who’s who that included Busta Rhymes, Badu, Gerald Levert and Brandy, as well as Future, Travis Scott and Tyla.

She continued, “Working at various companies like Atlantic, Elektra, Motown and Epic have been my sword and shield. We’ve seen musical ideas become movements, and what we know is this: Black creativity is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It has shaped culture and continues to show the world new ways to see and feel that creativity. And that deserves our continued protection.

“Music needs us to stand up for it like never before because we are living through a time of massive technological change,” an emotional Rhone further noted. “The possibilities are super exciting, but we must stay as active on the tech side of music as we are on the soulful side. We make the algorithm. The algorithm doesn’t make us. We must honor the musician. We must compensate the creator. So let us celebrate music as the art form it is, and let us make sure the next generation of artists has the opportunity to create the songs that will change the world.”

Earlier during BET Week (June 25), Grammy winner Missy Elliott also hosted “The Sylvia Rhone Legacy Celebration” presented by Mona Scott-Young’s Monami Entertainment in association with the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC). Among the music stars, executives and creatives packed inside The Sun Rose West Hollywood were Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, songwriter-producers Jimmy Jam and Bryan-Michael Cox (the latter of whom doubled as the evening’s DJ) and HYBE America president of music Ethiopia Habtemariam.

Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning producer/multi-instrumentalist Adam Blackstone curated the evening’s musical salute. The performances encompassed the wide scope of Rhone’s career and the diverse array of artists whose careers she helped develop and guide. Among the hosts of artists that rocked the stage were Jozzy, who performed Elliott’s “Sock It to Me” and Flo, who sang En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go (Love).”

Nobody puts Leon Thomas on a leash!

The Grammy-winning R&B sensation, who’s signed to Ty Dolla $ign and Shawn Barron’s Motown-housed EZMNY imprint, accepted the Vanguard Award at the 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards on Thursday (June 25), just a few days before he’ll grace the red carpet at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday (June 28).

Sporting a snazzy gray-green suit and black-out shades, Thomas humbly accepted the Vanguard Award as his songwriting peers looked on. Grammy and Oscar winner Paul Williams led the presentation, with some assistance from ASCAP executive vice president & head of creative membership Nicole George-Middleton. EZMNY co-founder Ty Dolla $ign closed out the presentation via a video message recorded from Paris Fashion Week. Previous ASCAP Vanguard Award recipients include Victoria Monét, Migos, Janelle Monáe, Beastie Boys and more.

“Leon is a once-in-a-lifetime, generational talent who inspires everyone around him, including me,” said Ty Dolla $ign. “He’s proof that authenticity and real music will take you to the T-O-P… thank you for friendship and sharing your gift with the whole world.”

After pausing to snap some pictures, Leon began: “At 16 years old, ASCAP was my choice [of PRO], and 16 years later, it’s been so many moments that I’m extremely grateful for… Along this journey, it’s been a lot of ups and downs.

“As a songwriter and producer, there were times when you had to dim your light in order to get where you wanna go,” he continued. “What God put on my path was a journey of self-reflection and confidence. He also put [people] on my journey [who] would help me take my own music as an artist to the ‘T-O-P,’ as Ty Dolla $ign said.”

With “Mutt,” a slow-burning smash that conquered both R&B and pop radio on its way to a No. 6 peak on the Billboard Hot 100, Thomas cemented himself as the R&B’s brightest new superstar. From childhood Broadway stints to his beloved portrayal of Andre Harris on Victorious, an era-defining Nickelodeon sitcom for early Gen Zers, Thomas is an entertainment powerhouse over two decades in the making.

After receiving mentorship from Babyface and producing select tracks on Ariana Grande’s Billboard 200-topping 2013 debut album, Yours Truly, Thomas Pickle earned his first Grammy nomination in 2020 for his writing and production contributions to Rick Ross and Drake’s “Gold Roses.” Two years later, he climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 — his highest peak as a producer — with SZA’s “Snooze,” which earned him his first Grammy for best R&B song in 2024.

“Shoutout to my brother Shawn Barron at EZMNY, who recognized that a lot of the music I was making was songs that didn’t quite fit on any other artist. I knew I would be the only voice that could genuinely take it there,” Thomas said. “Shawn [and Ty Dolla $ign] brought me over to Capitol Music Group and put me in a position today to do what I’m doing. Shoutout to Culture Collective — Jonathan Azu and the whole team — for keeping my life organized and well-planned, and also fighting the good fight in boardrooms to make sure that my creativity was heard. And my lawyer, Dan Shulman, and the Eisner Law crew have always worked very hard to protect my IP and who I am as a creative. And Grant Financial Management, for making sure those royalty checks are coming in on time, hallelujah!”

Earlier this year (Feb. 1), Thomas added two more gilded Gramophones to his awards mantle: best traditional R&B performance for “Vibes Don’t Lie” and best R&B album for Mutt, which reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200. He earned six nods in total, including album of the year and best new artist, emphasizing his arrival as a true front-facing star after years of behind-the-boards achievements. Since February’s ceremony, where he also played in the best new artist and D’Angelo tribute medleys, the Billboard cover star has been wrapping up the European and Australian legs of his sprawling Mutts Don’t Heel World Tour, as well as assisting Bruno Mars on his Romantic Tour in stadiums across the United States. At Sunday night’s BET Awards, Thomas will compete for album of the year (Mutt Deluxe: Heel) and best male R&B/pop artist.

“To all of my collaborators and all of the songwriters and producers that I see in this room, there’s a bunch of you [who] are also chasing your artistic dreams,” he concluded. “I don’t want y’all to give up on that because I know that with hard work and a solid team around you, you too can be heard. And don’t let any of these companies put you in a box and tell you what you can’t do.”

“Luther,” the doe-eyed, Hot 100-topping duet between Kendrick Lamar and SZA that took home the 2026 Grammy for record of the year, was named the ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year. Co-written by the two superstars, alongside ASCAP winners Marvin Gaye, Kamasi Washington, Scott Bridgeway and Jack Antonoff, “Luther” broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 hit in Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs history (31 weeks).

The K.Dot glow also rubbed off on Mustard, who took home ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year honors for his contributions to Lamar’s “TV Off” and Ella Mai’s “Little Things.” While the former reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and scored a flashy Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show look, the latter hit No. 4 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales Chart. Over on the faith-based side, Maverick City & Upperoom’s “Rest On Us,” co-written by Brandon Lake & Harvest Grapevine, was named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Gospel Song of the Year.

Sony Music Publishing earned ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year honors for Hot 100-charting hits including “Push 2 Start” (Tyla, No. 88), “Went Legit” (G Herbo, No. 70), “Folded” (Kehlani, No. 6), “Man I Need” (Olivia Dean, No. 2), “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” (Glorilla & Sexyy Red, No. 17), “Mutt” (Leon Thomas, No. 6), “Shake It To The Max (Fly) Remix” (MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea, No. 44) and “Rather Lie” (The Weeknd & Playboi Carti, No. 4).

Additional 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award-winning songwriters include Cardi B (“Outside”), Justin Bieber (“Yukon”), Partynextdoor (“Somebody Loves Me”), Kali Uchis (“Is It A Crime”), Usher (“It Depends”) and Summer Walker (“Heart of A Woman”).

The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past year based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services, as specified by the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards rules.

UPDATE (June 22): If you won’t be in Washington, D.C. on Sunday (June 28) when Bill Maher receives the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, fear not: Netflix will premiere the program on July 21. The streamer has been the exclusive broadcast partner of the Mark Twain Prize since 2024.

John Mellencamp is set to appear at the gala, along with Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Woody Harrelson, Arianna Huffington, Jay Leno, Stephen A. Smith and others. Grammy-winning producer and composer Cheche Alara will serve as music director.

The show will be held at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts. Donald J. Trump’s name was officially part of the name of the building when Maher’s award was announced in April, but it was ordered removed by a federal judge on May 29.

PREVIOUSLY (April 6): Bill Maher is set to receive the 2026 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at a June 28 gala in the concert hall of The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, the official name (at least for now) of the cultural landmark in Washington, D.C.

Maher will be the 27th recipient of the award; the first since board voted on Dec. 18 to adopt the new name. The program will stream exclusively on Netflix for the third consecutive year on a date to be announced.

“Thank you to the Mark Twain people: I just had the award explained to me, and apparently it’s like an Emmy, except I win,” Maher said in a statement. “I’d just like to say that it is indeed humbling to get anything named for a man who’s been thrown out of as many school libraries as Mark Twain.”

As his quip implies, Maher has indeed lost dozens of times at the Primetime Emmys. He has received 42 nominations over the years but has won just once – as an executive producer of the HBO series Vice. He lost 11 times for his breakout series Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher and an astounding 19 times for the subsequent Real Time With Bill Maher.

In addition to his 42 Primetime Emmy nods, Maher has received two Grammy nods, both for the audiobooks of two of his best-selling books. He was nominated for best spoken word album for When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden in 2004 and New Rules – Polite Musings From a Timid Observer in 2007. He lost both times.

Maher, 70, will be the oldest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize since David Letterman, who was also 70 when he was honored in 2017. The oldest-ever recipient was Carol Burnett, who was 80 when she was honored in 2013.

The June 28 event is being held more than three months later in the calendar year than last year’s presentation to Conan O’Brien, which was held on March 23, 2025. The event will be held in the same venue – only the name has been changed.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the 19th-century novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, colloquially known as Mark Twain. Previous recipients are Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019), Jon Stewart (2022), Adam Sandler (2023), Kevin Hart (2024), and Conan O’Brien (2025). The event was created by Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber. 

Maher was born in New York City and raised in River Vale, N.J. He launched his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979. In 2022, Maher launched a new podcast, Club Random With Bill Maher. He has done 13 solo specials for HBO including last year’s Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This? The special was nominated for a Golden Globe for best performance in stand-up comedy on television, but (as per usual for Maher at award shows), it lost.

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Oh yes, oh yes! Carl Cox is now an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), recognition for his outstanding services to music.

The pioneering British DJ and record producer is one of several music figures named in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Writing on his socials, Cox, one of the outstanding technical DJs of them all, a master of techno and house whose career spans over four decades, says he is “absolutely thrilled and deeply honoured” by his award.

“Music has been my life for as long as I can remember. From the earliest days behind the decks to performing on stages around the world, it has been an incredible journey filled with passion, creativity, and unforgettable moments. I’ve been fortunate to do what I love and to connect with so many amazing people through the power of music,” he writes.

“This recognition is not mine alone – it belongs to everyone who has been part of the journey. To the fans who have supported me throughout the years, the artists who have inspired and collaborated with me, the promoters, crews, and teams working tirelessly behind the scenes, my family, friends, and the wider electronic music community: thank you. Your belief, dedication, and energy have helped shape every step of this remarkable path.”

“To receive this honour for doing something that has brought me so much joy is truly humbling. Electronic music has given me a purpose, a voice, and a global family, and I’m proud to have played a part in its growth and continued success.” Cox extends a thank you “to everyone who has supported me along the way. Your encouragement has meant the world to me, and I’m genuinely grateful for every opportunity, every dancefloor, and every shared experience.”

Also recognized by King Charles is fellow British DJ Judge Jules (real name: Julius O’Riordan), who is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). O’Riordan is saluted for his services to the music industry, entertainment law, and young people.

“I’ve done an awful lot of mentoring. I mean, a good example of what I do,” he tells LBC Radio’s Ali Miraj. “I go to the Brit School, which is… the Brit School has generated more famous global musical icons out of this country than any other single entity. And I go there and I lecture at least once or twice a year. And there are many other ways that I feel that if you’ve been experienced like I have, it’s one’s absolute obligation to give back and to mentor because the arts in this country have had challenging times on and off, but are a real flag that this country needs to fly.”

Also, Black Sabbath guitarist and co-founder Tony Iommi is made an MBE for services to music and charity, while several leading figures from the world of classical music are saluted.

The New Year and King’s Birthday Honours are awarded by the King following recommendations by the prime minister or senior government ministers, as celebration of outstanding achievements, personal bravery, and public service.

Meanwhile, several outstanding artists and executives from Australia’s music community are tapped in the King’s Birthday Honours List. Keith Welsh, co-founder, bassist and now manager of Iva Davies’ ARIA Hall of Fame inducted band ICEHOUSE, receives the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), as does Philip Walker (OAM), chair and co-founder of Origin Music Group.

There’s a posthumous award for James Valentine, the beloved broadcaster and sax player for ARIA Hall of Famer inducted new wave band Models and Absent Friends. Valentine, who passed in April, at the age of 64, following a battle with cancer, becomes a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).

The honors recognize and celebrate the exceptional achievements, community service, and public contributions of hundreds of distinguished Australians, and are awarded by the Governor-General of Australia, acting on the recommendation of the Council for the Order of Australia.