Grandmaster Flash
and legendary soul singer Betty Wright were honored with a Founders Award at the
Billboard-American Urban Radio Networks 2003 R&B Awards show this year.
Wright accepted
her award first, introduced by Miami’s own Trick Daddy, who was by far the best
presenter of the evening.
Trick bypassed
the teleprompters script and introduced Wright in a humorous, but respectful
way, affectionately referring to her as "Ol Girl" (southern dialect
for the term Mom).
Flash accepted
his award with grace, appearing to be almost in tears as he thanked the many
people that influenced the genre and helped take the music and culture around
the globe.
"What I did
was a science of trying to figure out how I could take this part of the record
that was too g###### short and extending it as long as i wanted," as Flash
explained the procedure of creating "breaks," or extending a particular
part of the record so the MC’s could rap.
"Thank you
corporate America for fully taken notice of the motherf*cking DJ. Cause the
emcee, breakers poppers and producers and all that is hot, but there wouldn’t
be none of that s### without the DJ."
Flash thanked various
industry moguls, including Jermaine Dupri, whom he remembered as a kid breakdancing
on the legendary "Fresh Fests," Russell Simmons, whom he remembered
as a promoter hawking a 12 inch record by a young LL Cool J, Jazzy Jeff and
Cash Money, whom he thanked for creating the "transformer" style of
scratching and legendary Bronx DJ Red Alert, who presented Flash with his award.
Other big award
winners included 50 Cent, who snagged four awards, Eminem and R. Kelly who both
took home three awards and The Neptunes, who won Best Producers of the Year
Award.
A full listing
of winners is below:
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ALBUM
EMINEM
"The Eminem Show"
Web/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
SINGLES & TRACKS
R. KELLY
"Ignition"
Jive
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ARTISTS:
50 CENT
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ARTISTS – MALE
50 CENT
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ARTISTS – FEMALE
AALIYAH
Blackground/Universal/UMRG
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ARTISTS – DUO OR GROUP
CLIPSE
Star Trak/Arista
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ARTISTS – NEW
50 CENT
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
SINGLES & TRACKS ARTISTS
50 CENT
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
ALBUMS ARTISTS
EMINEM
Web/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP RAP ALBUMS
EMINEM
"The Eminem Show"
Web/Aftermath/Interscope
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
SINGLES SALES
R. KELLY
"Ignition"
Jive
TOP R&B/HIP-HOP
SINGLES AIRPLAY
ERYKAH BADU FEATURING COMMON
"Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)"
Fox/MCA
HOT RAP TRACK OF
THE YEAR
NELLY FEATURING KELLY ROWLAND
"Dilemma"
Fo’Reel/Universal/UMRG
R&B/HIP-HOP
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
ROBERT KELLY
R&B/HIP-HOP
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
THE NEPTUNES
R&B/HIP-HOP
MAJOR LABEL OF THE YEAR
ISLAND DEF JAM MUSIC GROUP
R&B/HIP-HOP
INDEPENDENT LABEL OF THE YEAR
KOCH
