In its 26th year, the Bounce Trumpet Awards are set to be bigger than ever. With performances from Anthony Hamilton, Bow Wow, and Xscape in honor of Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings, and jaunts from Big Daddy Kane and Carl Thomas, the stage is ready to be lit up this Sunday (February 11). The 2018 hosts are Love Jones’ very own Larenz Tate and Erica Ash of Survivor’s Remorse.
This year, Grammy Award-winner—and the inspiration behind much of Usher’s Confessions—Dupri will be honored with The Music Innovation Award. The brand new owner of Essence Communications, Richelieu Dennis, will be honored with The Entrepreneur Award. Tamika Mallory—co-chair of the Women’s March— will receive The Impact Award. And if you remember Cameo’s forever jam “Candy,” then you know why they’ll be receiving The Lifetime Achievement Award.
Other honorees include Marley Dias, the 13-year-old activist and writer who created the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, who is being presented with The Trailblazer Award. Inventor and straight up nuclear engineer Dr. Lonnie Johnson will be receiving The Innovator Award— he’s known as the stroke of genius behind the Super Soaker. Singer, dancer, and actress Rhyon Brown will be grabbing The Rising Star Award, which is presented by McDonald’s.
Other musical performances include Doug. E Fresh, Bilal, Estelle, Arrested Development, Michel’le, Keke Wyatt, Rhyon Brown, and so much more. Plus, get ready for the tributes and appearances by Angie Stone, Lamman Rucker, Omar Gooding, and Angell Conwell. It’s going to be a party celebrating Black excellence.
The show will air on Bounce on Sunday at 9:00 p.m. EST. But if you want to see the stars glide across the red carpet, you can tune in a half-hour earlier.
The award show was founded in 1992 by civil rights leader Xernona Clayton. Bounce purchased the property in 2016.
