Grandmaster Flash Honored At Billboards

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 […]

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