Interscope’s Nicole Wyskoarko & Common Among Black Music Action Coalition Gala Honorees

At the sixth annual BMAC Gala held in Beverly Hills on September 24, 2026, several esteemed individuals in the black music industry were honored for their contributions and achievements. The event, presented by Live Nation and hosted by radio personality Kenny Burns, brought together notable figures such as Patti LaBelle, Common, Public Enemy, Interscope Geffen A&M president Nicole Wyskoarko, and Tina Davis of Empire.

The night's theme revolved around pride, perseverance, and purpose, with a focus on black music's role in storytelling, preserving identity, and shaping culture.

In opening remarks, BMAC co-founder and president Willie "Prophet" Stiggers emphasized the significance of the evening, stating, "Tonight is bigger than a gala... Black music has always been more than music. It has been how we told our story when others tried to write it for us, how we held onto our humanity when this country tried to deny it. We have turned pain into purpose, struggle into sounds and survival into something the entire world would eventually call culture."

The evening's award presentations included the BMAC Sylvia Rhone Visionary Award, given to Interscope Geffen A&M president Nicole Wyskoarko; the BMAC Harry Belafonte Change Agent Award, presented to Common by his mother, Dr. Mahlia Hines; the BMAC Icon Award for Patti LaBelle, bestowed by director Lee Daniels; the BMAC Founders Award to Kevin Shivers, Lee Anderson, Mallory Smith, and Marty Diamond of THE·TEAM; the BMAC Social Impact Award to Public Enemy, recognized by rapper Big Daddy Kane; the BMAC Clarence Avant Trailblazer Award to Tina Davis of Empire; and the BMAC 365 Award to Universal Music Group's Global Impact Team, led by Stiggers and FLO.