00:00It's funny how life works in mysterious ways, because back in 2007, I wrote about something
00:08called a platform for developing artists called Strive for More Music, taking place in the
00:13Bay Area. And at this particular showcase, and I'm quoting from what I wrote, among the artists
00:19who struck a chord with the audience of local press, radio DJs, and music professionals
00:25was a 12-year-old named Kehlani Parrish.
00:33So now it's 19 years later, and that promising preteen is a double Grammy winner. She's a
00:41remarkable catalog with the most recent release, I'm sorry, of Kehlani with some great songs
00:47and taking it black, is what she told me, I'm going back black with that particular album.
00:53All right. You said that. Well, actually, you said it was a black-ass album, but yeah.
01:00Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. And you're still striking a chord now, but with audiences around
01:07the world. So I'm proud to present R&B Hip Hop's Power Players' R&B Artist of the Year Award
01:14to Kehlani.
01:19Thank you. Hey, y'all. I also wrote something. I also have real bad ADHD, so I can't talk over
01:32people either, so I do appreciate the quiet during this, because it's important that I
01:35get to dedicate this to someone. So firstly, thank you, Billboard, for the honor. It's been
01:40the icing on the cake of an incredible run. I flew in from Nashville, Tennessee this morning
01:44from what's been a really, really beautiful honor of a tour, and it gave me a lot of time
01:49to think about what a power player really means. To me, it means to be an important part of
01:54a team and to be surrounded by other key players. This ceremony tonight honors innovators and
02:00the teams that make all of this go around, and I've never been able to do this, so tonight
02:04seems like the perfect moment, but I'd like to dedicate my award in this speech to my manager,
02:08David Ali, who won Executive of the Year. He's being honored tonight, but I feel like
02:14he needs to be told more often by me in front of people just how special he is. Oh no,
02:19I'm
02:20going to cry. David was an underdog, often underlooked in the Bay Area music scene, but was never afraid
02:27to give free ideas and unwavering support without expectation ever. David and I met on Twitter
02:33in 2014 after a couple failed attempts at managers post my teenage band era. I was tweeting the link
02:40to my very first song out to anybody who would listen. David messaged me and said, I really love
02:45this song, and if you have any more, I'd like to come hear them. The next day, David used his
02:51last
02:51couple dollars to cast a train all the way from one side of Los Angeles to the deep valley just
02:55to
02:55listen to my couple more songs that I had. He enjoyed what he heard and said anyone would be lucky
03:00to work with me one day. The next day, he called and said he'd been up all night developing a
03:05six-month
03:05plan. If we were to accomplish this plan, he'd have earned the right to be called my manager.
03:10If we didn't, there'd be no hard feelings, and we would carry on amicably. Within those six months,
03:17David and I hustled. We shared a vehicle. We took a million meetings. We signed a record deal. We
03:21dropped my first mixtape, and we went on my very first tour. Rightfully so, David earned the title
03:26of my manager. What I didn't know at the time is I'd gained the closest thing I've ever had to
03:31a
03:31father. While people have seen David earn all of the wins alongside me, no one saw him right by my
03:36side during the lows. The mental health struggles, the hospital visits, funerals, the public witch
03:41hunts, the times where my passion for justice has led to major losses in our business, threatening our
03:46livelihood and all we've worked for, but he's never tried to change my heart. In his own words,
03:51God's always got a plan for us, and what's meant for us will happen no matter what. David has not
03:56only picked me up off of the floor, but he's sat on the floor next to me and held my
04:00hand. He's
04:01never rushed me to get up. He's never told me money was more important than my humanity. He's heard me
04:06cry. He's wiped my tears, and he figured out ways to keep this shit going so I can stay on
04:10the floor
04:11just a little longer until I'm ready to get up. David has left vacations early to be at doctor's
04:16appointments with me. He's turned down many opportunities that in my eyes were massive for him
04:20just to focus on what we're building here. He's the godfather of my daughter. He's my family.
04:26This is not solely my experience either. To know David is to love David. He's not only been
04:31instrumental in my life, but to many others. From building his business of his company above ground,
04:37starting with me, to supporting me when I found other young artists I believed in and helping me
04:41build them behind the scenes, to intentionally hiring young black and brown women and giving the
04:45opportunity in his company, David was there before anyone, and without question, he'll
04:50be there in the event that everyone leaves. David, you've taught me that kindness and
04:55doing right by people takes you farther than anything. You've taught me that hard work beats
04:59talent, and you've taught me that true unconditional love can exist in this world, and it just makes
05:04all of this much more worth it. To someone I've never questioned, never doubted, and I've always
05:09referred to as God's personal gift to me, thank you. Billboard, thank you for honoring my family
05:14tonight. Between Destin, David, and I. David, this one's truly for you, and you've done such
05:19an incredible thing. Thank you, Billboard. Shout out Pulse, shout out Atlantic Records, but really,
05:26really, really, thank you, David Ali. I love you. You did this. You did this.
05:29You did this. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did
05:34it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You
05:34did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it.
05:34You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did
05:34it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You
05:34did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it.
05:34You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did
05:34it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You did it. You
05:34did it. You did it. You
