Sylvia Rhone will be honored with the Ultimate Icon Award at this month’s BET Awards in Los Angeles, BET announced Thursday.
Rhone is widely regarded as one of the most important executives in modern music history. Over the course of her career, she broke major barriers in a business where women and people of color were often excluded from top leadership. She became the first woman, and the first Black woman, to serve as CEO of a major record label, and held senior positions at major companies including Motown, Elektra, Atlantic Records and Epic Records.
She joined Epic in 2014 as president and was elevated to CEO in 2019. Rhone left the label in 2025, reflecting on a career that began in an era when executive opportunities for women were rare. In a farewell memo, she said she was proud not only of what she had accomplished, but also of the example her path could set for others.
Throughout her decades in the industry, Rhone helped shape the careers of a wide range of major artists, including Stevie Wonder, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Future, 21 Savage, DJ Khaled and Travis Scott.
BET programming chief Connie Orlando praised Rhone’s impact, saying her influence reaches well beyond the business side of music. Orlando credited her with supporting artists and executives, opening doors that had long been closed, and changing expectations for women and people of color in leadership.
The BET Awards will take place June 28 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Druski serving as host.
BET previously announced that Teyana Taylor will also be honored at the ceremony with the Icon of the Year Award. Additional performers and honorees are expected to be announced before the show.
