Playboi Carti won the Artist of the Year award at the 2024 Billboard Hip-Hop Power Players Award on September 5, 2024. During his award acceptance speech, he paid homage to the late Hip-Hop and rap artist Rich Homie Quan, stating:
"RIP Rich Homie Quan"
This drew cheers from the audience. Rich Homie Quan died on the same day as the award ceremony at the age of 34. His girlfriend, Amber Williams, found him on the couch, not breathing and without a heartbeat. The rapper was pronounced dead on the scene after the paramedics arrived following Williams' call to 911.
Playboi Carti's other tribute to Rich Homie Quan
Playboi Carti was one of the many celebrities and fans who took to social media to pay tribute to Rich Homie Quan following his death. He shared a video of himself and Rich Homie Quan on his Instagram story, which has now been uploaded to the broader social media by fans:
The video showcases the two alongside others singing together. Alongside the video, Carti also shared a photo of the two posing together for a picture on his Instagram story.
Playboi Carti's Artist of the Year award at the Billboard Hip-Hop Power Players Award 2024 is his first Billboard Award. The singer-songwriter, alongside paying tribute to Rich Homie Quan, also expressed his gratitude to his mom, God, and Billboard.
Damien Scott, Deputy Editorial Director at Billboard, captioned the award for Playboi Carti as follows:
"And when we started to think about what exactly a Hip-Hop Power Player is, I think, to me, it was somebody who exhibits a special quality, right? Someone who is able to control the game, control the genre, someone who is in the embodiment of hip-hop, and hip-hop, to me, as it probably is to a lot of you, is young, brash, innovative and honest..."
He went on to state that the rapper in question had to be someone who made everyone think 'what is going on', before announcing Playboi Carti:
"I know he’s someone who makes people think about what rap is supposed to be, and to me, that’s exactly what a rapper is supposed to do. Make everybody think what the hell is going on right here? What am I listening to? Is this good? Is this bad? "
Scott continued:
"And the fact of the matter is that it’s great. And it’s my honor to introduce the 2024 R&B Hip Hop Power Player Artist of the Year to Mr. Playboi Carti."
A brief overview of Playboi Carti's recent activities
Carti is working on his third album, I Am Music, which is expected to be released by the end of 2024. The rapper first teased the album in 2021, just after the release of his second studio album, Whole Lotta Red.
The album was originally scheduled to be released on September 13, 2021, but was significantly delayed. The singer evolved the project over the years and debuted unreleased tracks during his live performances to build the crowd's anticipation.
Aside from his solo album work, Carti recently also worked with Metro Boomin and Future on their project We Don't Trust You. The trio collaborated alongside Travis Scott on the single Type Sh*t, which was released on March 22, 2024. The single has since charted at the number 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.