Billboard Urban Power Players List 2012

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Defining power and who possesses it is an ever-changing equation. It’s a challenge that Billboard editors revisit each year with the Power Players series, which includes Women in Music, Latin Power Players, this year’s inaugural Power 100 and the upcoming 40 Under 40. To that roster, add this issue’s inaugural Urban Power List, profiling the 25 biggest players in the industry. The unranked tally targets executives whose concentration is urban, not executives who have oversight of urban music but also substantial responsibilities with other genres.

Rounding out the list: salutes to Urban Power Cities and the first Hall of Fame inductee. As with any such tally, numerous accomplished executives didn’t make the cut. However, the selected honorees represent the collective judgment of Billboard’s editors. Deal makers, rule breakers, beat creators — these are the 25 most powerful players in the space, the men and women who define the game, direct its flow and determine its outcome. Congratulations to the 25 game-changing executives who comprise our first Urban Power List.

Urban Power Players Honorees (In Alphabetical Order):
Click on honoree’s photo, name or title to read biographical information and more.