The Icon Award will be given to Busta Rhymes during the 2023 Culture Creators, Innovators, and Leaders Awards Brunch.
On June 24 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the seventh annual gala will honor Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary, with a special focus on Busta’s outstanding contributions to the genre.
According to the organization’s press release, “Busta Rhymes has made unparalleled contributions to the culture as a trailblazer and visionary within the Hip Hop community, making this accolade richly deserved.”
“This year’s Innovators and Leaders Awards Brunch holds an unparalleled significance as we celebrate the golden 50th anniversary of Hip Hop,” said Joi Brown, founder and CEO of Culture Creators. We are honored to recognize outstanding people who have significantly influenced Black culture and hip-hop while also highlighting the continuing influence of this universal phenomenon.
The late Andre Harrell, Russell Simmons, Sylvia Rhone, Byron Allen, Swizz Beatz, and L.A. Reid were among the previous Icon Award winners.
This year’s Innovators of the Year Award will go to Chloe x Halle as well.
The iconic rapper Busta Rhymes has had a fantastic year. He and Janet Jackson finally had the opportunity to play their 1998 hit song “What’s It Gonna Be?!” live last month. The incident occurred at Madison Square Garden during the Together Again Tour’s New York stop.
Busta donned a tuxedo and tie in March to give a special performance at Carnegie Hall with a full orchestra. He once interrupted his performance to express to the crowd how important it was for him to be a young person from Brooklyn performing at Carnegie Hall and how much his mother had supported him.
He told the packed house that he used to watch Transformers and Voltron between 6:30 and 8:00 in the morning while she was preparing breakfast.
“So, I would hear names like Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Soundwave. When I went to the corner store to buy my Charleston Chews, it was unusual. On the corner, I would see brothers with names like Lord Victorious and Supreme Justice. Gods be in peace.
He continued, “The point I’m trying to make is that I learned a lot tonight while in my dressing room looking at the TV monitors and watching these incredible gentlemen speak.”