For an under-the-radar awards show in the middle of Hollywood’s awards season, the Global Spin Awards delivered some top names.
Hosted by Snoop Dogg at the Novo in downtown Los Angeles, Diddy, Nicole Scherzinger, Usher, Pharrell, Timbaland, Ludacris, and Jermaine Dupri all took the stage to perform, present, or accept awards during the taping of the show that will air on Revolt TV on Feb. 22.
Credit Shawn Prez, the former Bad Boy Records executive who previously produced the show in New York.
Timbaland accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award from Pharrell in the most genuine tribute of the night.
“I was a DJ first,” he said. “When I didn’t like the music out there, I decided to make beats and create music for the fans. I’d really like to thank all the DJs that have played my records, and continue to play my records every day. It feels a little weird receiving this Lifetime Achievement Award, because I feel like I’m just getting started.”
He’s hardly just starting. He produced Justin Timberlake’s peak hits (“Cry Me a River,” “Sexyback”), peak Missy Elliot, peak Jay-Z (“Big Pimpin’”, “Dirt Off Your Shoulder”) and many more.
While the awards aimed to encompass both EDM “superstar” DJ’s (e.g. Calvin Harris, The Chainsmokers), hip hop stars’ backing DJ’s, and club DJ’s, the evening focused on the latter two categories.
Winners included Diplo (International DJ of the Year, in absentia), DJ Khaled (who won four awards, including “Hip Hop DJ of the Year,” present), and young Metro Boomin (“People’s DJ Award”).
DJ K-Swizz, a 14-year old world competitor mixer from New Zealand, provided one of the highlights of the night with a short mix set. Keep an eye on that kid.
The show exploited a talent-rich window to tape in L.A. during the NBA All Star Weekend. As production crews swarmed the L.A. Live complex, fans and autograph hounds waited outside the red carpet event to try sneak a peek at hip hop royalty.
The Global Spin Awards airs on Revolt on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. ET.