UPDATE (Jan. 9): Mary J. Blige will receive an Entertainment Icon Award at the 2024 Urban One Honors. Blige, 52, joins previously announced honorees Dionne Warwick, 83, and Chloé Bailey, 25, which means that three generations of female soul greats will be saluted.
Blige, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, is a nine-time Grammy winner. She won a Primetime Emmy last year for her part in the historic The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent which was voted outstanding variety special (live). In 2018, she became the first person in Oscar history to receive nominations for acting and songwriting in the same year, thanks to her performance in Mudbound and her role in co-writing its nominated song, “Mighty River”.
“Urban One is thrilled to honor the incomparable Mary J. Blige as our 2024 Entertainment Icon,” Michelle L. Rice, president of TV One and CLEO TV, said in a statement. “Mary’s immeasurable talent and award-winning music has shaped our culture and has had a profound impact on artists and music across all genres, but most notably the elevation of female artists in both R&B and hip-hop across generations. She fully personifies the ‘Best in Black’ theme of this year’s Urban One Honors.”
PREVIOUSLY (Jan. 3): Dionne Warwick, Chloé Bailey, Frankie Beverly and Donald Lawrence will be saluted at the 2024 Urban One Honors, which is set to tape on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Coca Cola Roxy in Atlanta. The two-hour telecast will premiere on Sunday, Feb. 25, on TV One and simulcast on CLEO TV.
Warwick will be recognized as the lifetime achievement honoree, Bailey as the generation next honoree, Beverly as a living legend, and Lawrence for his inspirational impact.
Both Warwick and Beverly have had their old hits revived very successfully in the recent past. Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red,” which features Warwick’s 1964 hit “Walk on By,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks last year. In 2019, Beyoncé covered Beverly’s 1981 hit with Maze, “Before I Let Go,” on Homecoming: The Live Album.
Beyoncé was born two weeks after Maze’s record entered Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart, as Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs was then known. Doja Cat was born more than 30 years after “Walk on By” was a hit – which shows the longevity of this prized material.
Warwick, 83, received the Kennedy Center Honors in a ceremony which aired on CBS on Dec. 27. The five-time Grammy-winner received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2019.
Lawrence, 62, won a Grammy in 2008 for best traditional gospel album for Live – One Last Time.
Bailey, 25, has received five Grammy nods, including best new artist, as part of Chloe X Halle.
Beverly, 77, the leader of Frankie Beverly & Maze, has never even been nominated for a Grammy, but the group received a BET lifetime achievement award at the 2012 BET Awards.
“As we unveil the lineup for this year’s Urban One Honors, we are delighted to highlight [their] incredible musical journeys,” Michelle L. Rice, president of TV One and CLEO TV, said in a statement. “From chart-topping, award-winning hits, social relevancy and influence to cultural impact, their selection as honorees is a recognition of their profound impact, spanning generations.”
Urban One Honors bills itself as the ultimate celebration of Black excellence, acknowledging individuals who have left an indelible mark on the arts, media, music and the community. This year’s theme is “Best in Black.”
Bebe Winans, Angie Stone, Teyana Taylor, Damon Little and October London will also appear on the show. There will also be an R&B Divas reunion featuring KeKe Wyatt, Chanté Moore and Nicci Gilbert. Additional names will be announced. Singer and actress LeToya Luckett returns to host the event’s Backstage Pass, featuring exclusive interviews with the show’s honorees, performers and presenters.
The 2024 Urban One Honors marks the official kickoff celebration for TV One’s 20th Anniversary. Throughout the year, TV One is set to roll out an array of special programming featuring curated retrospectives, exclusive behind-the-scenes content and a series of commemorative events.
Urban One Honors is produced for TV One by James Seppelfrick of The Cheat Code. Marilyn Gill is the executive producer. Myriam Leger will serve as director and Daniel Moore as music director. Kashon Powell is the vice president of programming for Radio One and Susan Henry is the executive producer in charge of production for TV One.
