Nile Rodgers, John Legend & DJ Mustard Honored at 2015 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards

On Friday (Aug. 28) night, Nile Rodgers, John Legend and DJ Mustard were honored at the 2015 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.

Rodgers, the man of the hour, was recognized as BMI’s Icon Award honoree. He joins a bunch of iconic previous honorees, including The Jacksons, Snoop Dogg, George Clinton, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard and Al Green, to name a few.

“The first time I heard someone playing back a song I wrote -- and it wasn't me -- was the most amazing day of my life,” Rodgers told Billboard on the red carpet. “I walked into a club and the DJ had two copies of my record. I thought I was gonna die -- and I’ve been chasing that high ever since.”

Legend's "All of Me” was crowned Song of the Year and Mustard was a double winner, snagging awards for Songwriter and Producer of the Year. This marks Mustard's second consecutive win of the latter award. BMI also recognized top producers like Kanye West, J. Cole, Jim Jonsin, Michael “Finatik” Mulé and Isaac De Boni.

Universal Music Publishing Group was celebrated as Publisher of the Year for having 18 of the most-performed songs. Singer/songwriter SoMo won the BMI Social Star Award, thanks to fan votes from Twitter and Instagram.

The star-studded event also included a tribute performance to Rodgers by Empire’s V. Bozeman, Kelly Price, Kathy Sledge, Cee Lo Green and Deborah Cox. Rapper B.o.B. took the stage as well, performing a melody of his hits, while iLoveMakonnen kept the momentum going with a live rendition of "Tuesday."

See a complete list of 2015 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop winners and an exclusive interview with Nile Rodgers here.

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Nile Rodgers, John Legend, DJ Mustard, Kanye West, J. Cole