Ravyn Lenae, GELO and Odeal accepted the R&B, Hip-Hop and African Rookies of the Year award at Billboard‘s 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players event Thursday night (Sept. 4) at Unveiled in New York.
Staff writer Kyle Denis and I introduced the three Rookies, touting their Billboard chart stats — Lenae scored her first Billboard Hot 100 top five hit with “Love Me Not” and GELO’s “Tweaker” topped Rhythmic Airplay — and genre-blending capabilities, as Odeal has captured the global spotlight with his emotive, experimental blend of Afro-fusion, alté and R&B.
“As I was preparing for tonight, I kept reflecting on how transformative this past year has been for me. So many of my wildest dreams have become reality, and I’m still pinching myself to be living in a season I’ve worked toward for so long,” said Lenae, who also touched on the working process behind her 2024 critically acclaimed sophomore album Bird’s Eye, the parent project of “Love Me Not.”
“I knew I had to strip everything back and reconnect with who I am beyond success or perception,” she added. “That meant going home to the Southside of Chicago, walking through my family home, eating my grandma’s cooking, revisiting the albums that made me want to sing in the first place. Those little things reminded me of my roots, my magic.”
When the spotlight was on Odeal, he reflected it back on everyone else in the room. “I want everyone to celebrate themselves at every time. My manager today told me to never be late to your own party, ’cause I’m literally always late to everything it’s ridiculous,” he said. “With that being said, I just want everyone to celebrate themselves at any given moment because life is short and we’re all doing absolutely amazing and we have to work twice as hard as almost anyone, you know what I’m talking about.”
GELO also shared his gratitude for being a part of Billboard‘s Rookie of the Year tradition at R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players. “It means a lot to be a part of the Billboard Rookie of the Year and all that. Thank everybody for having me, man, it’s been a blessing,” he said.
Lenae, GELO and Odeal will perform at Billboard Hip-Hop/R&B LIVE Friday night (Sept. 5) at Webster Hall on a bill headlined by Billboard cover star Leon Thomas.
This year marks the first time Billboard has separated R&B and hip-hop for this distinction and added African music as another category. Teezo Touchdown won the R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year award last year, following Ice Spice (2023), Blxst (2022) and the inaugural recipient Baby Keem (2021).
Thomas, Cardi B, Wu-Tang Clan and TDE CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith were also honored at R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players.
