Sylvia Rhone to Receive Ultimate Icon Award at “BET Awards” 2026.

June 12, 2026

legendary music executive Sylvia Rhone will receive the Ultimate Icon Award at the “BET Awards” 2026. Culture’s Biggest Night will broadcast live on Sunday, June 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on BET, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Druski as host.

The Ultimate Icon Award honors the trailblazers whose work has transcended their field, figures whose names have become synonymous with excellence. This distinction belongs to those few who didn’t just succeed within the culture; they expanded what the culture believed was possible, leaving a mark so enduring it cannot be measured by any single era or achievement.

A visionary executive whose life’s work has been dedicated to uplifting artists, expanding culture, and contributing to the ongoing genius of American music, Rhone made history as the first Black woman to lead a major record company owned by a Fortune 500 corporation. She remains one of the most influential executives the industry has ever known. Across leadership roles at Epic Records, Universal Motown, Elektra Entertainment Group, Atlantic Records, and EastWest Records, she consistently transformed businesses and identified and developed generations of iconic artists, including Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, En Vogue, Tracy Chapman, Erykah Badu, Brandy, Kid Cudi, Gerald Levert, Anita Baker, Tamia, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Yolanda Adams, Akon, Fabolous, Ol Dirty Bastard and more.

Most recently, Rhone served as Chairman and CEO of Epic Records, where she accelerated the label’s global impact and guided a diverse roster of chart-topping and culture-defining artists, including Travis Scott, Future, 21 Savage, Tyla, Giveon, Mariah The Scientist, Zara Larsson, Andre 3000 and Meghan Trainor. She transitioned from her leadership role at Epic in 2025 after helping drive one of the label’s most successful periods in recent history. Beyond her business achievements, Rhone has long been recognized for her intentional leadership and commitment to equity. She pioneered inclusive talent and promotion practices that reshaped executive culture across the industry, creating pathways for greater representation of women and people of color both onstage and in boardrooms.

“Sylvia Rhone’s influence extends far beyond the music business and into the culture itself,” said Connie Orlando, EVP & Head of Programming, BET. “She championed artists and executives, shattered ceilings that had never been broken, and redefined what leadership looks like for women and people of color in every boardroom that followed. Her legacy is heard in the music, seen in the careers she built, and felt in the generation of leaders walking the path she cleared. We are proud to honor Sylvia Rhone with the Ultimate Icon Award at the ‘BET Awards’ 2026.”