AceShowbiz - In a star-studded, invitation-only event held last Thursday, June 27, in Los Angeles, the 2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards honored the creme de la creme of contemporary music. Dominque "Lil Baby" Jones emerged as the toast of the evening, clinching the Songwriter of the Year award. This accolade highlights Lil Baby's spectacular year, in which he co-wrote three of ASCAP's most performed songs, "Forever" and "Heyy" from his chart-topping third studio album, "It's Only Me", and "Freestyle" from his 2017 mixtape, "Too Hard".

"It's Only Me" not only resonated with fans but also achieved significant commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts. These milestones underscore Lil Baby's prowess and influence in the music industry.

Other notable winners included SZA's "Snooze", which 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, "Snooze" dominated the Billboard R&B Songs chart for an impressive 32 weeks and peaked at No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. It also earned a Grammy for best R&B song.

Warner Chappell Music took home the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul publisher of the year title for their array of successful tracks, including "Calm Down" by Rema & Selena Gomez, "Fukumean" by Gunna, "Good Good" by Usher, and several hits by 21 Savage, among others.

Additionally, the event recognized the contributions of multiple songwriters, including 21 Savage for "Good Good", "Spin Bout U" and "Rich Flex", Lil Uzi Vert for "Just Wanna Rock", and CeCe Winans' gospel song "Goodness of God", which remained a fixture on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart for an astounding 78 weeks.

Usher was honored with the ASCAP Voice of the Culture Award for his significant influence on music and culture, with the award presented by Jermaine Dupri, a three-time Grammy nominee for his work with Usher. Victoria Monet received the ASCAP Vanguard Award for her "innovative work that is helping to shape the future of music." She was also acknowledged for her hit "On My Mama", a 2024 Grammy nominee for record of the year.

For a complete list of the 2024 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Award winners, visit ASCAP's official website.