Common, Patti LaBelle and Public Enemy are the artists who will be honored at the 2026 Black Music Action Coalition Gala, presented by Live Nation, taking place on September 24, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Executives being honored include Interscope’s Nicole Wyskoarko, who will receive the inaugural Sylvia Rhone Visionary Award; Empire’s Tina Davis will receive the BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award; the Team’s Lee Anderson, Marty Diamond, Lenore Kinder, Kevin Shivers and Mallory Smith will receive the BMAC Founders Award; and Universal Music Group’s Global Impact Team will receive the BMAC 365 Award. Radio personality Kenny Burns returns to host the annual gala.
Common will be honored with the BMAC Harry Belafonte Change Agent Award; Patti LaBelle will be honored with the BMAC Icon Award; and Public Enemy will receive the BMAC Social Impact Award. The organization’s newest honor, the Sylvia Rhone Visionary Award, will “recognize exceptional leaders for their innovation, mentorship, influence, and commitment to creating opportunities for artists and their indelible contributions to the music industry,” according to the announcement. Rhone, a pioneering music executive who led Epic, Motown, Elektra Records and others, retired last year and was honored at the 2026 BET Awards.
She has opened doors, mentored generations of leaders, and shown what it means to lead with vision, excellence, and integrity,” said Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, Co-Founder, President and CEO of the Black Music Action Coalition. It’s a fitting tribute to a true pioneer whose influence will continue to inspire the next generation of leaders.” “Success isn’t measured solely by sales, but by the lives we touch, the doors we open, and the legacies we build. Nicole Wyskoarko embodies that truth every day — a legal mastermind with an artist’s heart, who champions creators, protects creativity, and sees potential in people and ideas that might otherwise go unrecognized.
I’ve had the joy of watching Nicole rise through our business with grace, grit, and an unshakable sense of purpose,” said Rhone. As Nicole continues to shape the sound, the business, and the future of Black music, I can’t imagine a more deserving first recipient of the BMAC Sylvia Rhone Visionary Award — or anyone better suited to define what this honor will come to represent. Nicole sets the standard for every visionary who will follow.” Funds raised at the 6th annual BMAC Gala will also benefit BMAC’s work in local communities through programs like the Gunna x BMAC 30349, Guaranteed Income Program, and the BMAC Restore & Rebuild LA Program, giving direct monthly support to Altadena residents impacted by the Eaton Fires.
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