@SnoopDogg, Drake,B.o.B, Lex Luger, Universal Music BMI Urban Awards

Snoop Dogg, Drake, B.o.B, Lex Luger, Universal Music Publishing & More Honored at BMI Urban Awards

Dr. Dre, Warren G, Nas, Bootsy Collins, Wiz Khalifa, Too $hort, Game and others rally to celebrate Snoop Dogg’s career

Urban music’s top creators shared the stage tonight at BMI’s Urban Awards at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. The annual event celebrates the songwriters, producers and music publishers of the past year’s most-performed r&b, rap and hip-hop songs in the BMI repertoire.

The 2011 ceremony featured high-wattage star power and broke BMI records. The incomparable Snoop Dogg was honored as a BMI Icon. With seven songs among the most-performed, Drake accepted his first BMI Urban Songwriter of the Year crown. At 22, B.o.B became the youngest songwriter ever to win BMI Urban Song of the Year thanks to his “Nothin’ on You,” featuring Bruno Mars.

Only 20 years old, Lexus “Lex Luger” Lewis carved out his own place in BMI history, becoming the youngest ever to be named BMI Urban Producer of the Year. In addition to Luger, BMI honored Top Producers Polow Da Don, Daniel “Kane Beatz” Johnson, R. Kelly and Kanye West.

Universal Music Publishing Group scored 13 songs among the year’s most-performed and claimed the BMI Urban Publisher of the Year crystal.

A stacked live musical tribute paid homage to Snoop Dogg. Wiz Khalifa kicked off the tribute with “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”; The Lady of Rage followed with “Deep Cover”; Too $hort delivered “Gin & Juice”; Warren G, Kurupt and Daz Dillinger came together for “Ain’t No Fun”; Game performed “Murder was the Case”;Charlie Wilson delivered “Beautiful”; Akon followed with “Sexual Seduction”; Nas and Kurupt wowed with “Next Episode”; and lastly, Aftermath’s Dr. Dre offered a heartfelt speech before Snoop Dogg himself joined Bootsy Collins and Charlie Wilson on stage to deliver “What’s My Name?” as the towering finale.

BMI honors songwriters who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” as Icons. Snoop Dogg joins a list of past honorees that includes George Clinton, The Jacksons, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson andCarlos Santana, to name but a few.

BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Catherine Brewton, Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta, hosted the 2011 BMI Urban Awards. A full list of winners is below.

2011 BMI Urban Music Awards

BMI Icon
SNOOP DOGG

BMI honors songwriters who have had a “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” as Icons. Snoop Dogg joins a list of past honorees that includes George Clinton, The Jacksons, James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson andCarlos Santana, to name but a few.

BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Catherine Brewton, Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations, Atlanta, hosted the 2011 BMI Urban Awards. A full list of winners is below.

2011 BMI Urban Music Awards

BMI Icon
SNOOP DOGG

Urban Songwriter of the Year
DRAKE
“Bedrock”
“Find Your Love”
“I Invented Sex”
“Money To Blow”
“Over”
“Say Something”
“Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”

Urban Song of the Year
“NOTHIN’ ON YOU”
B.o.B
Ham Squad Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars

Urban Publisher of the Year
UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP
“Airplanes”
“Bedrock”
“Bottoms Up”
“Deuces”
“Hot Tottie”
“How Low”
“Love the Way You Lie”
“My Chick Bad”
“Not Afraid”
“Nothin’ On You”
“Papers”
“Sex Therapy”
“Your Love”

Urban Producer of the Year
LEXUS “LEX LUGER” LEWIS

Top Urban Producers
POLOW DA DON
DANIEL “KANE BEATZ” JOHNSON
R. KELLY
KANYE WEST

Award-Winning Songs

AIRPLANES
Alex Da Kid
B.o.B
Ham Squad Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
B.o.B featuring Hayley Williams
Rebelrock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic

BEDROCK
Jasper Cameron
Drake (SOCAN)
Daniel "Kane Beatz" Johnson
Lil Wayne
Lloyd
Nicki Minaj
Tyga
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Goldie's Playhouse Publishing
Harajuku Barbie Music
Live Write LLC
Money Mack Music
Pretty Girls and Big Love Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Tygaman Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Young Money Publishing, Inc.

Young Money featuring Lloyd
Young Money/Cash Money/Univ Mo

BITTERSWEET
Claude Kelly
Studio Beast Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Fantasia
J/RMG

BOTTOMS UP
Daniel "Kane Beatz" Johnson
Edrick Miles
Nicki Minaj
Tony "Chef Tone" Scales
Trey Songz
April's Boy Music LLC
Chef Huxtable Music Publishing
E. Miles Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Harajuku Barbie Music
Money Mack Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj
Song Book/Atlantic

DEUCES
Chris Brown
Kevin McCall
Tyga
Culture Beyond Ur Experience Publishing
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Kmacnificent
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Tygaman Music
Chris Brown featuring Tyga and Kevin McCall
Jive/JLG

EVERYTHING TO ME
Fritz Baskett
Clarence McDonald
VIP Rosebud Music
Monica
J/RMG

FIND YOUR LOVE
Jeff Bhasker
Drake (SOCAN)
Kanye West
Ernest "No I.D." Wilson
Chrysalis Songs
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Live Write LLC
No I.D. Music Publishing
Please Gimme My Publishing, Inc.
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Way Above Music
Drake
Aspire/Young Money/Cash Money

GANGSTA LUV
Snoop Dogg
My Own Chit Publishing
Snoop Dogg featuring The Dream
Doggystyle/Priority/Capitol

HEY DADDY (DADDY'S HOME)
Plies
First and Gold Publishing
Usher featuring Plies
LaFace/JLG

HOT TOTTIE
Paul "Hollywood Hot Sauce" Dawson
Ester Dean
Polow Da Don
Dat Damn Dean Music
God Can't Lie Publishing
My Diet Starts Tomorrow, Inc.
peermusic III, Ltd.
Songs of 2412
Songs of Universal, Inc.
U Can't Teach Bein' The Shhh, Inc.
Usher featuring Jay-Z
LaFace/JLG

HOW LOW
Chuck D
Eric "Vietnam" Sadler
Hank Shocklee
Tyler "T-Minus" Williams (SOCAN)
Brother Bagz Publishing
Reach Global Songs
Shocklee Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Terrordome Music Publishing LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Your Mother's Music Inc.
Ludacris
DTP/Def Jam/IDJMG

I AM
Ester Dean
Dat Damn Dean Music
peermusic III, Ltd.
Songs of 2412
Mary J. Blige
Matriarch/Geffen/Interscope

I INVENTED SEX
Drake (SOCAN)
L.O.S. DA MYSTRO
Tony "Chef Tone" Scales
Trey Songz
April's Boy Music LLC
Chef Huxtable Music Publishing
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Live Write LLC
Sony/ATV Melody
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trey Songz featuring Drake
Song Book/Atlantic

JUST A DREAM
David Ryan Harris
Jim Jonsin
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Jimipub Music
Peace Pourage Music
Nelly
Derrty/Universal/Motown

LIKE A G6
Jae "j-Splif" Choung
James "Prohgress" Roh
Fmonyourdial Publishing
Hunnypot Happenings
Far East Movement
Cherrytree/Interscope

LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE
Alex Da Kid
Eminem
Skylar Grey
Hotel Bravo Music
M Shop Publishing
Shroom Shady Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Universal Music-Z Songs
Eminem featuring Rihanna
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope

MONEY TO BLOW
Drake (SOCAN)
Lil Wayne
Bryan "Baby" Williams
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Live Write LLC
Money Mack Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Young Money Publishing, Inc.
Birdman featuring Lil Wayne & Drake
Cash Money/Universal

MY CHICK BAD
Nicki Minaj
Harajuku Barbie Music
Money Mack Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Ludacris featuring Nicki Minaj
DTP/Def Jam/IDJMG

NEIGHBORS KNOW MY NAME
Troy Taylor
Trey Songz
April's Boy Music LLC
Downtown DMP Songs
No Quincydence Music Publishing
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trey Songz
Song Book/Atlantic

NOT AFRAID
Eminem
Shroom Shady Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Eminem
Shady/Aftermath/Interscope

NOTHIN' ON YOU
B.o.B
Ham Squad Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
Rebelrock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic

NOTHIN' ON YOU
B.o.B
Ham Squad Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
Rebelrock/Grand Hustle/Atlantic

OMG
will.i.am
BMG Sapphire Songs
i.am.composing llc
Usher featuring will.i.am
LaFace/JLG

OVER
Nick Brongers (SOCAN)
Drake (SOCAN)
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Live Write LLC
Stellar Songs Ltd.
Drake 
Young Money/Cash Money/Univ Mo

PAPERS
Xavier "Zaytoven" Dotson
Sean Garrett
Gorilla Zoe
Gorilla Zoe Music LLC
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Team S Dot Publishing
Ultra Empire Music
Zaytoven Publishing
Usher
LaFace/JLG

RUDE BOY
Ester Dean
Makeba Riddick
Rihanna
Rob Swire (PRS)
Annarhi Music LLC
Chrysalis Songs
Dat Damn Dean Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Janice Combs Music
peermusic III, Ltd.
Songs of 2412
Yoga Flames Publishing
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

SAY AAH
Ronald "Young Yonny" Ferebee, Jr.
Tony "Chef Tone" Scales
Trey Songz
April's Boy Music LLC
Chef Huxtable Music Publishing
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Tenyor Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trey Songz featuring Fabolous
Song Book/Atlantic

SAY SOMETHING
Drake (SOCAN)
Jerome Harmon
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Jerome Harmon Productions
Live Write LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Timbaland featuring Drake
Mosley/Blackground/Interscope

SEX THERAPY
Paul "Hollywood Hot Sauce" Dawson
Ester Dean
Polow Da Don
Dat Damn Dean Music
God Can't Lie Publishing
My Diet Starts Tomorrow, Inc.
peermusic III, Ltd.
Songs of 2412
Songs of Universal, Inc.
U Can't Teach Bein' The Shhh, Inc.
Robin Thicke
Star Trak/Interscope

SOLDIER OF LOVE
Paul Denman (PRS)
Andrew Hale (PRS)
Stuart Matthewman (PRS)
Sade (PRS)
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Sade
Epic

TEACH ME HOW TO DOUGIE
Cahron "Jayare" Childs
Corey "Smoove" Fowler
Chanti "Yung" Glee
Runway Star
Runway Star Music Publishing
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Cali Swag District
Capitol

THERE GOES MY BABY
Jim Jonsin
Danny Morris
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Hypnotic Beats Inc.
Jimipub Music
Rebel Made Music
Usher
LaFace/JLG

TIE ME DOWN
BenJ
Legacy
100 Records Music
Primary Wave Brian
Rule Blind Publishing
New Boyz featuring Ray J
Asylum/Warner Bros.

TRY SLEEPING WITH A BROKEN HEART
Jeff Bhasker
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Way Above Music
Alicia Keys
MBK/J/RMG

UN-THINKABLE (I'M READY)
Drake (SOCAN)
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Live Write LLC
Alicia Keys
MBK/J/RMG

YOUR LOVE
David Freeman (PRS)
Joe Hughes (PRS)
Nicki Minaj
Andrew "Pop" Wansel
Harajuku Barbie Music
Money Mack Music
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
Nicki Minaj
Young Money/Cash Money/Univ Mo

@LILTUNECHI OR @LILWANYE drops new album and Top selling items FIND OUT @SMARTERHIPHOP

 Lil Wayne made fans wait 10 months after his release from prison for Tha Carter IV (* * * ½out of four), his much anticipated follow-up to 2008's triple-platinum Tha CarterIII.

But now that it's finally here, Weezy has packed the lineup with more than enough repeat-worthy tunes to make it worth the delays. All year, he has been offering little tastes leading up to the big day with his current single, the Drake-assisted She Will, following hits 6 Foot 7 Foot, John and How to Love.

He comes armed with a steady stream of punch lines ("When it Waynes, it pours") over banging beats. And though he shares the mike with a roster of guests that include Rick Ross, Cory Gunz, Jadakiss, T-Pain and Tech N9ne, they're just icing on the cake.

Wayne even spares a moment to throw a shot at Watch the Throne (Jay-Z dropped a subliminal diss at him onH.A.M.), responding with an equally sly verse on It's Good. As a whole, Tha Carter IV is even better than that.

>Download: Aforementioned tracks, President Carter,How to Hate, MegaMan,So Special

Top TEN BEST SELLING ITEMS online as of 
aug 29 2011

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Tropical Storm Irene lashes Northeast find out @smarterhiphop

Tropical Storm Irene lashes Northeast

New York (CNN) -- Trees toppled and streets flooded Sunday morning as Irene lashed some of the biggest cities in the Northeast with wind gusts and torrential rains.

Even as Irene weakened to a tropical storm, authorities in the region warned that its impact was not waning.

"We're not out of the woods yet. Irene remains a large and potentially dangerous storm," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters.

Officials said the storm had knocked out power to more than 4 million people and was responsible for at least 15 deaths in six states.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said flooding in his state was widespread and advised residents to stay indoors.

Atlantic City shuts down for Irene

Hurricane Irene hits Virginia Beach

Rhode Island braces for Irene

Irene causes flooding in Kill Devil Hills

RELATED TOPICS

• Hurricane Irene
• National Hurricane Center
• Maryland
• New York City
• Delaware

Streets in downtown Millburn, New Jersey, saw major flooding when the Rahway River overflowed early Sunday morning, said Lt. Peter Eakley, the town's deputy emergency management coordinator.

"It's crazy. ... The water is moving between buildings, up, down, all sorts of different directions," Rich Graessle told CNN's iReport.

In New York City's lower Manhattan, the Hudson River overflowed, sending massive amounts of water spilling over jogging paths and pouring into at least one nearby apartment building. Water also lapped over the banks of the city's East River early Sunday, but later receded. CNN affiliate WCBS reported serious flooding in Brooklyn.

Irene left streets looking barren and desolate in "the city that never sleeps." Shelves upon empty shelves greeted shoppers at stores. Caution tape barricaded the turnstiles at subway stops.

But the flooding's greatest impact may be far from view, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CNN.

"The challenge of New York is that so much of the electricity and other infrastructure is below the surface," he said.

That means flooding could bring life in the city to a standstill even after waters recede, he said.

The threat of flooding extended beyond New York City. Outside Philadelphia, waters had already climbed to street-sign levels in Darby, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said, sending "couches, furniture, all kinds of stuff floating down the street."

Waves pounded the shoreline in Long Beach, New York, as water poured underneath the boardwalk and into the city's downtown area.

By 11 a.m. ET Sunday, Tropical Storm Irene had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving inland over southeastern New York state and heading northeast toward New England. Even as winds decreased, the hurricane center warned that an "extremely dangerous storm surge" was expected in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and parts of Long Island, New York.

The storm slammed into Little Egg Inlet, New Jersey, as a Category 1 hurricane around 5:30 a.m., the hurricane center said, hitting cities along the coast as it hurtled toward New York City.

While most New Yorkers stayed holed up in their apartments, officials and residents in states further south began taking stock of the damage Irene left behind.

Gallery: Hurricane Irene sweeps along East Coast

Irene causes tornado in Delaware

Hospital evacuations in New York

Boat tossed by Hurricane Irene

Mayor's door-to-door warning

Authorities in Ocean City, Maryland, reopened the evacuated city.

"It was a long night last night, but I can tell you, we dodged a missile here at Ocean City," Mayor Rick Meehan told reporters.

While Irene dumped 12 inches of rain by early Sunday morning, there was no major flooding. The maximum storm surge coincided with low tide, preventing the flooding that had been feared. Timing "made a significant difference," Meehan said.

But flooding remained a concern in many areas, said Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"Assessments are still coming in," Fugate said Sunday morning, noting that Virginia reported particularly high rainfalls.

Powerful gusts were so strong in some states that pedestrians struggled to stay upright. Storm surges along the East Coast turned at least one beach into an extension of the ocean.

Two buildings collapsed in Philadelphia, Nutter told reporters, but no one was injured.

A nuclear power reactor in Calvert Cliffs, Maryland, automatically went offline late Saturday after a piece of aluminum siding from a building struck a transformer amid strong winds.

"The facility is safe; there is no impact to employees or our neighbors," said Mark Sullivan, spokesman for the Constellation Energy Nuclear Group. "There is no threat."

Officials have blamed at least 15 deaths across the affected region on Irene -- one each in Connecticut, Maryland and Florida, two in New Jersey, six in North Carolina and four in Virginia.

A 55-year-old male surfer died around noon in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and a woman in Queenstown, Maryland, died after a tree knocked a chimney through the roof of her home, officials said. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy said downed wires appear to be to blame for one fatality in his state.

Irene first made landfall in the United States Saturday in North Carolina near Cape Lookout at the southern end of the Outer Banks. It stomped across the state for most of the day.

The storm ripped off roofs, toppled trees, induced "massive flooding" near the coast and brought down power lines statewide, according to the state emergency management division.

The hurricane unleashed 10 to 14 inches of rain over much of North Carolina and pushed a 4-foot storm surge into the Chesapeake Bay, the National Hurricane Center said.

As of midnight Saturday, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, had endured 31 hours of nonstop rainfall.

Reports of tornadoes came from several states, including North Carolina and Virginia -- but a final determination will have to be made by the National Weather Service.

CNN's Tom Cohen, Rob Marciano, Ali Velshi, Soledad O'Brien, Rose Arce, Jeanne Meserve, Chris Boyette, David Mattingly, Susan Candiotti, Chris Lawrence, Jason Carroll, John Zarrella, Kimberly Segal, Sarah Hoye, Poppy Harlow, Holly Yan, Kristina Sgueglia, Eden Pontz, Gregory Clary and Elizabeth Cherneff contributed to this report.