Living Legends Foundation Celebrates 35 Years of Legacy, Perseverance and Community

By Sienna Atlantis ATLANTA — This iz Atl had the opportunity to attend The Living Legends Foundation marking its 35th anniversary on Friday, October 2, 2026, with an awards dinner at Flourish Atlanta, recognizing leaders whose work has helped shape Black music, radio, media and entertainment. Q Parker, a founding member of the R&B group 112, served as honorary gala chair, while Chaka Khan served as honorary ambassador. The celebration brought attention to the professionals whose contributions extend across artist development, broadcasting, live entertainment, advocacy and cultural preservation. As someone who attended, I left deeply inspired. The accomplishments being recognized were remarkable, but the messages about perseverance, creating family and pouring into people gave the evening its personal meaning. Julliette Jones reflected on persistence, referencing a quote she attributed to Nipsey Hussle about the difference being that she did not quit. She also spoke about creating a sense of family within the industry and pouring into others. Greg Street and Living Legends Foundation Vice President Skip Dillard echoed the importance of being there for one another. Those reflections offered a meaningful perspective on success. Careers are built through work and determination, but they are also sustained by people who offer encouragement, share opportunities and remain present when support is needed. Louis Carr, president of BET, received the Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award. According to his official executive biography, Carr generated more than $10 billion in advertising sales during his leadership of BET’s media sales business. His career helped establish the commercial importance of Black audiences, and he was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2023. The Black Promoters Collective received the A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award. The foundation recognized Shelby Joyner, Gary Guidry, Troy Brown, William “Bill” Ingram, Sulaiman Mausi, Shahida Mausi, Lionel Bea, Janice Cotton and Walt Reeder Jr. The collective has presented major touring experiences, including Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine Tour” and “The New Edition Way Tour,” featuring New Edition, Boyz II Men and Toni Braxton. Its “Queens Tour” featured Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle and Stephanie Mills. According to the company’s May announcement, BPC reached No. 10 on Billboard Boxscore’s midyear 2026 Top Promoters chart, its first appearance in the top 10. Kenny Smoov received the Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award for a career encompassing broadcasting and national programming leadership. His 23-year tenure at Cumulus Media included 21 years leading Nashville’s WQQK, known as 92Q. As vice president of urban formats, he oversaw programming and talent across the company’s urban radio stations. He departed Cumulus in September 2026 to pursue independent ventures through Nashville Brown LLC. Greg Street received the Frankie Crocker Radio Personality Award. A longtime voice at Atlanta’s V-103, Street has championed artists including T.I., Goodie Mob, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and Killer Mike. In a 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution profile, Killer Mike credited Street with playing his music early and continuing to support him as an independent artist. The profile also detailed Street’s encouragement of André 3000 and Big Boi to release their separate projects together, resulting in OutKast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.” Those contributions illustrate how a broadcaster’s belief in an artist can influence a career beyond the records played on air. Julliette Jones, chief operating officer of Alamo Records, received the Impact Player Award. Her career includes promotion work with Aaliyah, Joe, A Tribe Called Quest and NSYNC at Jive Records, followed by senior positions across major labels. At Atlantic Records, she helped drive radio campaigns for Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Kodak Black and Gucci Mane. Her transition into operational leadership at Alamo expanded her responsibilities into developing the structure and workplace culture supporting the label’s growth. Her remarks about refusing to quit gave a personal context to that professional journey, while her emphasis on pouring into people acknowledged the responsibility that comes with leadership. Tim Reid, BMG’s senior vice president of repertoire and marketing, received the Music Executive Award. According to BMG, his campaigns have included projects by Janet Jackson, Maxwell, Anthony Hamilton, India.Arie, Lil Dicky, Logic, Big K.R.I.T. and Terrace Martin. His work included Jackson’s “Unbreakable,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2015. His BMG responsibilities have also encompassed Chief Keef, Mustard, Tank, Joyce Wrice and Ledisi. Reid appeared on Billboard’s 2025 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list, following recognition in previous years. Phylicia Fant received the Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award. Her career spans publicity, artist strategy and cultural partnerships, with leadership roles at Warner Bros. Records, Columbia Records and Amazon Music. According to her Save The Music advisory board biography, her Amazon Music work has included collaborations with Usher, Lucky Daye, Jon Batiste, Andra Day, Keke Palmer and Omar Apollo, alongside Beyoncé’s Club Renaissance merchandise pop-up and HBCU homecoming sponsorships. Fant also founded The Purple Agency in 2008 and served as an executive producer of “Eggs Over Easy,” a documentary examining Black women’s experiences with fertility. James McMillan, an entertainment attorney and CEO of ART@WAR Entertainment, received the Kendall Minter Entertainment Advocate Award. His legal career has included representing New Edition, Cool & Dre, Machine Gun Kelly and 8Ball & MJG. Through ART@WAR and its partnership with Atlantic Records, he extended his work into label ownership and artist development, connecting legal advocacy with the business of building careers. Ted Lucas, founder and CEO of Slip-N-Slide Records, received the Hip-Hop Visionary Award. Founded in 1994, the Miami label helped launch the careers of Trick Daddy, Trina and Rick Ross. Lucas has also worked with newer talent, including Teenear. His contributions helped bring South Florida’s music to national audiences while establishing a lasting business within the region. Ralph McDaniels received the Entrepreneur Award. Known to generations as “Uncle Ralph,” McDaniels created “Video Music Box” in 1983, providing a television platform for hip-hop videos, interviews and the communities surrounding the music. According to the program’s official website, his directing and producing credits span more than 400 music videos, including Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.” and Nas’ “It Ain’t Hard to Tell.” His film credits include co-producing “Juice” and “Roxanne Roxanne.” The Video Music Box Collection contains more than 20,000 hours of material, with preservation efforts intended to keep that history available to future generations. The celebration was presented by the Living Legends Foundation. Its officers include Chairman David C. Linton, President Azim Rashid, Vice President Skip Dillard, Secretary Pat Shields and Treasurer Cecelia “CC” Evans. Publicists Jalila Larsuel and Tosha Whitten were listed as the event’s media contacts. Founded in 1991, the foundation carries its mission beyond the annual awards through financial assistance for industry professionals, scholarships for students pursuing careers behind the scenes and preservation of Black entertainment executives’ legacies. That work gives substance to the message of community expressed throughout the evening. Supporting the people who have served the industry, while creating opportunities for those entering it, connects recognition with care. What stayed with me was the encouragement to keep going and to help others do the same. Hearing accomplished professionals speak about family and pouring into people made the path ahead feel more possible. Their stories offered inspiration through both what they had achieved and what they were willing to give. The foundation’s 35th anniversary honored careers that deserve a lasting place in music history. It also acknowledged something deeply human within that history: the people who believe in us, stand beside us and help us continue. Footage brought to you by:worthmorethanphotsgraphy