Cardi B, Dolly Parton, Dua Lipa to be honoured by Billboard

NEW YORK – Cardi B has only released one major single this year — the hit “WAP” — but it’s enough for Billboard to name her Woman of the Year.

Billboard announced the honour Wednesday and the Grammy-winning rapper will be celebrated at the music brand’s 15th Annual Women in Music Event, which will stream live on Dec. 10 at billboardwomeninmusic.com at 8 p.m. EDT.

Jennifer Lopez will receive the Icon Award at the event and Dolly Parton will earn the Powerhouse Award. Other honorees include pop star Dua Lipa (Powerhouse Award), R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle (Rising Star Award) and singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez (Impact Award). Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas of Atlantic Records — who led #TheShowMustBePaused campaign in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery earlier this year — will receive the Executive of the Year Award.

Outside of “WAP” — which co-stars Megan Thee Stallion and spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — this year Cardi B appeared on K-pop girl group BLACKPINK’s “Bet You Wanna” and Brazilian singer Anitta’s “Me Gusta”; she jumped on the remix for the Latin trap track “La Bebe” with Anuel AA, Black Jonas Point, Secreto and Liro Shaq; and her rant about the coronavirus was remixed by iMarkkeyz and became a social media smash, even charting on Billboard’s rap and R&B digital songs sales chart.