{"id":2012562,"date":"2026-06-26T11:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T08:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2012562"},"modified":"2026-06-26T11:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T08:05:07","slug":"leon-thomas-reminds-fellow-songwriters-to-never-let-any-of-these-companies-put-you-in-a-box-while-accepting-2026-ascap-vanguard-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2012562","title":{"rendered":"Leon Thomas Reminds Fellow Songwriters to Never \u2018Let Any of These Companies Put You in a Box\u2019 While Accepting 2026 ASCAP Vanguard Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\tNobody puts Leon Thomas on a leash!<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tLeon Thomas Penned Hits For Ariana Grande and SZA \u2014 Now He\u2019s R&B\u2019s Hottest \u2018Rock\u00a0Star\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWhy Did Everything Finally Seem to Click for R&B on a Mainstream Level in 2025?\u00a0(Critic\u2019s Take)\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tKendrick Lamar\u2019s Super Bowl Halftime Show Exposed the Limitations of Subversive Messaging During the \u2018Great American\u00a0Game\u2019\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe Grammy-winning R&B sensation, who\u2019s signed to Ty Dolla $ign and Shawn Barron\u2019s Motown-housed EZMNY imprint, accepted the Vanguard Award at the 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards on Thursday (June 25), just a few days before he\u2019ll grace the red carpet at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday (June 28).<\/p>\n

\n\tSporting a snazzy gray-green suit and black-out shades,\u00a0Thomas humbly accepted the Vanguard Award as his songwriting peers looked on. Grammy and Oscar winner Paul Williams led the presentation, with some assistance from ASCAP executive vice president & head of creative membership Nicole George-Middleton. EZMNY co-founder Ty Dolla $ign closed out the presentation via a video message recorded from Paris Fashion Week. Previous ASCAP Vanguard Award recipients include Victoria Mon\u00e9t, Migos, Janelle Mon\u00e1e, Beastie Boys and more.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLeon is a once-in-a-lifetime, generational talent who inspires everyone around him, including me,\u201d said Ty Dolla $ign. \u201cHe\u2019s proof that authenticity and real music will take you to the T-O-P\u2026 thank you for friendship and sharing your gift with the whole world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter pausing to snap some pictures, Leon began: \u201cAt 16 years old, ASCAP was my choice [of PRO], and 16 years later, it\u2019s been so many moments that I\u2019m extremely grateful for\u2026 Along this journey, it\u2019s been a lot of ups and downs.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs a songwriter and producer, there were times when you had to dim your light in order to get where you wanna go,\u201d he continued. \u201cWhat God put on my path was a journey of self-reflection and confidence. He also put [people] on my journey [who] would help me take my own music as an artist to the \u2018T-O-P,\u2019 as Ty Dolla $ign said.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cMutt,\u201d a slow-burning smash that conquered both R&B and pop radio on its way to a No. 6 peak on the Billboard Hot 100, Thomas cemented himself as the R&B\u2019s brightest new superstar. From childhood Broadway <\/em>stints to his beloved portrayal of Andre Harris on Victorious<\/em>, an era-defining Nickelodeon sitcom for early Gen Zers, Thomas is an entertainment powerhouse over two decades in the making.<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter receiving mentorship from Babyface and producing select tracks on Ariana Grande\u2019s Billboard 200-topping 2013 debut album, Yours Truly<\/em>, Thomas Pickle earned his first Grammy nomination in 2020 for his writing and production contributions to Rick Ross and Drake\u2019s \u201cGold Roses.\u201d Two years later, he climbed to No. 2 on the Hot 100 \u2014 his highest peak as a producer \u2014 with SZA\u2019s \u201cSnooze,\u201d which earned him his first Grammy for best R&B song in 2024.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShoutout to my brother Shawn Barron at EZMNY, who recognized that a lot of the music I was making was songs that didn\u2019t quite fit on any other artist. I knew I would be the only voice that could genuinely take it there,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cShawn [and Ty Dolla $ign] brought me over to Capitol Music Group and put me in a position today to do what I\u2019m doing. Shoutout to Culture Collective \u2014 Jonathan Azu and the whole team \u2014 for keeping my life organized and well-planned, and also fighting the good fight in boardrooms to make sure that my creativity was heard. And my lawyer, Dan Shulman, and the Eisner Law crew have always worked very hard to protect my IP and who I am as a creative. And Grant Financial Management, for making sure those royalty checks are coming in on time, hallelujah!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tEarlier this year (Feb. 1), Thomas added two more gilded Gramophones to his awards mantle: best traditional R&B performance for \u201cVibes Don\u2019t Lie\u201d and best R&B album for Mutt<\/em>, which reached No. 35 on the Billboard 200. He earned six nods in total, including album of the year and best new artist, emphasizing his arrival as a true front-facing star after years of behind-the-boards achievements. Since February\u2019s ceremony, where he also played in the best new artist and D\u2019Angelo tribute medleys, the Billboard<\/em> cover star has been wrapping up the European and Australian legs of his sprawling Mutts Don\u2019t Heel World Tour, as well as assisting Bruno Mars on his Romantic Tour in stadiums across the United States. At Sunday night\u2019s BET Awards, Thomas will compete for album of the year (Mutt Deluxe: Heel<\/em>) and best male R&B\/pop artist.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo all of my collaborators and all of the songwriters and producers that I see in this room, there\u2019s a bunch of you [who] are also chasing your artistic dreams,\u201d he concluded. \u201cI don\u2019t want y\u2019all to give up on that because I know that with hard work and a solid team around you, you too can be heard. And don\u2019t let any of these companies put you in a box and tell you what you can\u2019t do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLuther,\u201d the doe-eyed, Hot 100-topping duet between Kendrick Lamar and SZA that took home the 2026 Grammy for record of the year, was named the ASCAP R&B\/Hip-Hop and Rap Song of the Year. Co-written by the two superstars, alongside ASCAP winners Marvin Gaye, Kamasi Washington, Scott Bridgeway and Jack Antonoff, \u201cLuther\u201d broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 hit in Hot R&B\/Hip-Hop Songs history (31 weeks).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe K.Dot glow also rubbed off on Mustard, who took home ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Songwriter of the Year honors for his contributions to Lamar\u2019s \u201cTV Off\u201d and Ella Mai\u2019s \u201cLittle Things.\u201d While the former reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 and scored a flashy Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show look, the latter hit No. 4 on R&B\/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales Chart. Over on the faith-based side, Maverick City & Upperoom\u2019s \u201cRest On Us,\u201d co-written by Brandon Lake & Harvest Grapevine, was named ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Gospel Song of the Year.<\/p>\n

\n\tSony Music Publishing earned ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Publisher of the Year honors for Hot 100-charting hits including \u201cPush 2 Start\u201d (Tyla, No. 88), \u201cWent Legit\u201d (G Herbo, No. 70), \u201cFolded\u201d (Kehlani, No. 6), \u201cMan I Need\u201d (Olivia Dean, No. 2), \u201cWHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME\u201d (Glorilla & Sexyy Red, No. 17), \u201cMutt\u201d (Leon Thomas, No. 6), \u201cShake It To The Max (Fly) Remix\u201d (MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea, No. 44) and \u201cRather Lie\u201d (The Weeknd & Playboi Carti, No. 4).<\/p>\n

\n\tAdditional 2026 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award-winning songwriters include Cardi B (\u201cOutside\u201d), Justin Bieber (\u201cYukon\u201d), Partynextdoor (\u201cSomebody Loves Me\u201d), Kali Uchis (\u201cIs It A Crime\u201d), Usher (\u201cIt Depends\u201d) and Summer Walker (\u201cHeart of A Woman\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards recognize the songwriters and publishers of the most-performed songs of the past year based on Luminate data for terrestrial and satellite radio and streaming services, as specified by the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards rules.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/awards\/leon-thomas-kendrick-lamar-2026-ascap-rhythm-soul-awards-1236281481\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/P1065ONO-e1782426305279.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard Nobody puts Leon Thomas on a leash! Related Leon Thomas Penned Hits For Ariana Grande and SZA \u2014 Now He\u2019s R&B\u2019s Hottest \u2018Rock\u00a0Star\u2019 Why Did Everything Finally Seem to Click for R&B on a Mainstream Level in 2025?\u00a0(Critic\u2019s Take) Kendrick Lamar\u2019s Super Bowl Halftime Show Exposed the Limitations of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2012562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2012562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2012562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2012562\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2012562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2012562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2012562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}