Atlanta was host to the 2018 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards this fall and none other than music superstar Janet Jackson, who received the Icon Award.
The event, which recognizes the year’s top R&B/hip-hop songwriters, producers and music publishers, was held Thursday, August 30 at The Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall.
Jackson joins elite stars such as Patti LaBelle, Nile Rodgers, James Brown, Snoop Dogg and Al Green as those who have gotten the Icon honor. But none of those artists come from the musical heritage of Jackson.
Singing and dancing since she was born, Jackson’s artistry and music has come to transcend generations and has inspired many with messages of empowerment.
Throughout her groundbreaking career, she’s sold more than 160 million records worldwide, scored seven No. 1 albums, and she’s the only artist in Billboard’s history to have three different albums— Control, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 and janet.—each produce five or more top ten hits on the Hot 100 chart. Jackson is also one of only four artists, alongside Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and U2, to have earned No. 1 albums in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s.