Inside the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Party & Concert: Exclusive Photos

From artists to executives, hip-hop luminaries flooded Academy LA on Thursday (Nov. 17) night in Los Angeles to celebrate Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event.

Billboard cover stars Future (who opened up about fatherhood and marriage) and SZA (who promises her new album S.O.S. is finally for real coming) were in attendance, as was Amazon Music’s Head of Hip-Hop & R&B Tim Hinshaw, who is Billboard’s executive of the year, topping our annual R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list.

“When I thought about the [music industry] landscape, it was like, ‘Amazon is already in everybody’s homes,’ ” Hinshaw told Billboard of his initial strategy. “I knew if I could authentically bridge the gap between company and artist and tell that story to consumers in an authentic way, I could help Amazon be a major player in this entertainment space.”

City Girls and Flo Milli performed, bringing down the house late into the night. Past Billboard cover star Pusha T was also in attendance, as was our rookie of the year Blxst, who has worked with everyone from Kehlani to Kendrick Lamar in 2022.

“I’m more about the art,” Blxst told Billboard about his approach to collaborating. “If I’m a fan of the song or if it fits with the direction that I’m going in, I’mma jump on a song off the strength. If I don’t like it, I’mma just not do it.”

SAINt JHN stopped by, as did Isabel Laurent, Sylvia Rhone and many more. See who else chopped it up at Billboard’s 2022 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event.