ASCAP will crown The Weeknd as Songwriter of the Year and Warner Chappell Music as Publisher of the Year at the 2021 ASCAP Pop Music Awards, being celebrated via the PRO’s social media from today through Thursday.

Song of the Year goes to Post Malone’s “Circles,” honoring Louis Bell, Kaan GüneÅŸberk and Billy Walsh alongside publishers Nyan King Music, Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.

Beyond Songwriter of the Year, a first for The Weeknd, he also receives most-performed song awards for  “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless.”  Warner Chappell’s win owed to its works "10,000 Hours,” “Blinding Lights,” “Lose You to Love Me,” “ROCKSTAR” and more.

ASCAP has started its Pop Music Awards and will run through Thursday on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The celebration kicked off Monday with an Instagram Live interview and performance from Phil Plested, a co-writer of Lewis Capaldi’s “Before You Go.” “Kings & Queens” co-writers Madison Emiko Love and Leland will take the ASCAP Instagram Live stage to tell the story behind their hit for Ava Max  on Wednesday at 6pm ET/3pm PT. The social media events will also include an exclusive performance of “Die From a Broken Heart” from Maddie & Tae featuring ASCAP Award-winning songwriter Maddie Marlow.

"On behalf of our entire Warner Chappell family, we’d like to thank ASCAP for this incredible honor," reads a quote from Warner Chappell CEO/Co-Chair Guy Moot and COO/Co-Chair Carianne Marshall, who have been known to speak in unison. "We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for our talented songwriters and A&R team, and it’s a true testament to their collective hard work and dedication to the music.”

"First and foremost," added WCM President of A&R, U.S., Ryan Press, "a huge congratulations to our amazing songwriters for helping to create the songs that got us through an extraordinarily tough year. I also couldn’t be prouder of our whole A&R crew for showing up every single day for our writers – it’s an honor to work with such a talented group of music creators.”

The complete list of winners is available on the ASCAP website. 

Ice-T and longtime collaborator Afrika Islam have partnered with Sony Music production arm Extreme Music to create UNCUT, a collection of hardcore rap cuts, crafted specifically for professional music users. 

The three-album collection will take an authentic deep dive into the hip-hop genre, combining instrumentation from the golden era of gangster rap with innovative sounds of today’s electronic music—the first installment is available now. 

“When it comes to bringing A-list talent to the media industry, Extreme Music is known for kicking it up a notch. These are the undisputed OGs and it’s our privilege to work with them and to drop the first of three ground-breaking albums for our clients,” said Russell Emanuel, CEO/President of Extreme Music.

Ice-T commented, “We’re looking forward to our continued relationship with Extreme Music. More extreme hip-hop to come!” 

The hip-hop legends connected with a diverse group of electronic and rap artists for the project, including Pableroy, Pad Thai Sound System, Miranda Writes, and Donald D.

We can only hope the TV gods sync one of these tracks to a dramatic Sergeant Fin scene in and episode of Law & Order SVU. Insert chef's kiss. 

Sony Music Publishing has announced the signing of hip-hop songwriter, producer and beatmaker Jonathan DeMario Priester, also known as Supah Mario, to a worldwide deal.

The South Carolina native has become an in-demand producer, crafting hits including “What’s Next,” “Ice Melts” and “Blue Tint” by Drake; “Wyclef Jean” by Young Thug; “That Way,” “Myron” and “Silly Watch” by Lil Uzi Vert; “Diamonds Talkin’ Back” by 2 Chainz; and Big K.R.I.T.’s “Mixed Messages.” He is also working on upcoming projects for Lil Uzi Vert, Swae Lee, and Post Malone.

Sony Music Publishing Vice President, Creative Adrian Nunez said: “The opportunity to work with Supah Mario has been a long time coming, and I’m excited to continue our creative relationship.”

Supah Mario earned breakout success in 2014 with his collaboration alongside Young Thug on "2 Cups Stuffed,” and again a year later with his 2015 hit “Thiefs in the Night.”