Clive Davis introduced 2024 nine-time Grammy nominee SZA to present the Clive Davis Visionary Award to manager and label heads, Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence “Punch” Henderson and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, at Advertising sign's 2024 Power 100 event last night (January 31).
The star-studded event that brought together the most important and powerful figures in music took place at the Neuehouse in Hollywood, where legendary record executive Davis took time to outline the successes and achievements of Tiffith and Henderson since the release of TDE in 2004.
“Throughout my career, I've always had the great fortune to work with truly remarkable producers who have created hits and helped shape the careers of some of music's biggest and brightest stars,” said Davis. “The executives we are honoring tonight, their names are Anthony Tiffith and Terence Henderson. you know them as Top Dawg and Punch. Without a doubt they share the gift of all those great producers who have left their mark on music history.”
Davis then turned his speech to SZA, who he called “one of the most exciting artists in music today,” and listed a number of his accomplishments over the past year. “SZA's last known album, we all know, warning sign, has earned nine 2024 Grammy nominations, the most of any artist this year, and includes Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Progressive R&B Album and Best R&B Song,” he said. “warning sign it was No. 1 for 10 weeks on the Billboard 200 and — this is amazing — all 23 of the album's tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100, with five top 10s.”
She then introduced SZA, who gave a speech that praised Punch and Top Dawg for their vision of believing in her from the start of her career.
“I was just talking to Punch the other day about how much vision he had to have to see what he saw in me without credentials,” he said. “I really looked crazy and acted crazy and turned down writers and all that, and believe me. People would come to him and tell him he needs to change my look, or make these kinds of beats, or work with these writers, and he wouldn't change anything about me. He absolutely believed and kept telling me I was the greatest, which I thought was ridiculous, and I was so grateful for his delusion. You know, Top literally also kind of had this faith in me, and I was nothing like any of my family members in TDE, I wasn't from the same place, I was just a different type of person and no matter how many times when we had conversations that differed, he struggled to understand me.”
He then introduced Punch and Top Dawg to talk. The latter kept it short — “You know me, I'm behind the scenes all the time. I'm like SZA, I don't like all these cameras and the spotlight,” she said — before turning it over to Punch.
“When you think of a visionary, you have to have foresight. And coming from where we come from – we both come from the Nickerson Garden projects – you have to have vision, you have to have foresight. And you usually don't. you can't see past your circumstances, or even past what's right in front of you,” he said. “So from there, we went on for 20 years in this business. This requires razor sharp vision, for sure. Even helping different artists, like a young girl from the suburbs of Maplewood, New Jersey, reach the top of the pop charts is crazy, and it takes vision. So to visionaries, keep seeing things with your eyes closed and see them well.”
Find the full Billboard Power 100 2024 list here.
