Lil Baby was named songwriter of the year at the 2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards. The rapper accepted his award on Thursday (June 27) at an invitation-only event in Los Angeles.
Three songs that Lil Baby (credited as Dominque “Lil Baby” Jones) co-wrote were among ASCAP’s most performed songs of the year – “Forever” and “Heyy,” both from his third studio album It’s Only Me – and “Freestyle,” from his 2017 mixtape Too Hard.
It’s Only Me reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.
“Snooze,” performed by SZA, was named ASCAP’s R&B/hip-hop and rap song of the year. Co-written by Leon Thomas and published by Eclectic Collective Publishing and Sony Music Publishing, the song topped Billboard’s R&B Songs chart for 32 weeks. “Snooze” also reached No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts and won a Grammy for best R&B song.
Warner Chappell Music was named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul publisher of the year for songs including “Calm Down” (Rema & Selena Gomez), “Fukumean” (Gunna), “Good Good” (Usher), “Hotel Lobby” (Quavo & Takeoff), “Rich Baby Daddy” (Drake), “Spin Bout U” and “Rich Flex” (21 Savage & Drake), “What It Is” (Doechii featuring Kodak Black) and “Praise God” (Kanye West, Travis Scott & Baby Keem).
Additional 2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul award-winning songwriters include 21 Savage (“Good Good,” “Spin Bout U,” “Peaches & Eggplants,” “Rich Flex”), Lil Uzi Vert (“Just Wanna Rock”), Summer Walker (“Good Good,” “Karma”), Coco Jones (“ICU”), Smokie Norful (“I Still Have You”) and Tye Tribbett (“New”).
ASCAP gospel song of the year went to “Goodness of God” (CeCe Winans), co-written by Brian Mark Johnson and Jennifer Louise Johnson and published by Bethel Music Publishing. The song was a fixture on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart for 78 weeks, longer than any of Winans’ other hits, peaking at No. 2.
The ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past year based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services, as specified by ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards rules.
As previously announced, Usher received the ASCAP Voice of the Culture Award for his influence on music and culture. Jermaine Dupri, who received three Grammy nominations for his songwriting and production work with Usher, presented the award. (Usher also received most performed song awards for “Glu” and “Good Good.”)
Victoria Monét received the ASCAP Vanguard Award for her “innovative work that is helping to shape the future of music.” ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams and ASCAP SVP of membership Nicole George-Middleton presented the award. Monét also received a most-performed song award for “On My Mama,” which was a 2024 Grammy nominee for record of the year.
A full list of 2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award winners is available at https://www.ascap.com/rsawards24.
