R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players: Billboard’s 2026 List Revealed
Categoria: Musica
Nominated by their companies and chosen by Billboard editors, these are the executives within both genres leading the field this year.
Por Billboard | 20/08/2026
Above Ground Entertainment CEO David Ali leads Billboard ’s list of executives across multiple industry sectors pushing the genres forward. Related Kehlani Gets Candid With Longtime Pal Leon Thomas About R&B, ‘Changing the World’ & Her ‘Sinus Surgery From Hell’ Meet the Manager Prioritizing ‘Investing In People’ — Like Star Client Kehlani HYBE Pledges Over $300k for Colombia Earthquake Recovery Labels, Distributors & Artist Services 10K Projects Marsha St. Hubert Co-president; executive vp, Atlantic Music Group Nico Ziangas Co-president Tom Phillips Senior director of marketing 300 Entertainment/Atlantic Records Rayna Bass Selim Bouab Co-presidents; co-presidents of hip-hop, R&B and global music Tashana Ventura Vp of marketing Shyniece “Shy” Ferguson Senior director of marketing strategy and implementation Gabe Krantz Director of streaming Michael Quiros Director of A&R, 300 Entertainment Bass Flo Ngala Bouab Gabriella Spiegel Bass is concerned about “the lack of creative growth” she’s seeing in R&B and hip-hop today. “We have to continue to innovate and push the culture forward.” Bass and Bouab — co-presidents of the Atlantic Music Group division 300 Entertainment, as well as co-presidents of hip-hop, R&B and global music at Atlantic Records — are dedicated to making good on that mission. Over the last 18 months, a parade of artists across both Atlantic’s and 300’s label rosters has notched multiple career milestones. Before launching her anticipated Little Miss Drama Tour earlier this year, Cardi B watched her long-awaited sophomore album, Am I the Drama? (which has now surpassed 2.2 billion official on-demand global streams for its songs since its release, according to Luminate) debut atop the Billboard 200 last October and launch 14 songs onto the Billboard Hot 100 . Hitting the arena circuit in February, the rap superstar’s tour wrapped in April with a gross of more than $70 million and 453,000 tickets sold, according to Billboard Boxscore. Atlantic’s Don Toliver also posted wins for the label. Toliver’s fifth studio album, Octane , became his first Billboard 200 chart-topper, and the first leg of his Octane arena world tour began in May and ended in July; the second started Aug. 4 and will wrap in London in November. Meanwhile, the Kehlani whirlwind is in full force. “Folded,” the singer-songwriter’s first No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and first top 10 on the Hot 100, won two Grammys (best R&B song and best R&B solo performance). The track helped propel Kehlani’s 2026 self-titled album to a No. 4 debut on the Billboard 200 in May. At 300 Entertainment, Gunna’s latest project, The Last Wun , landed at No. 1 on Top Rap Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums — his sixth time to reign on both. The album, which includes the Burna Boy-featuring “WGFT,” also reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, fellow