On Saturday, November 18th, Variety hosted its inaugural Hitmakers Brunch celebrating those profiled in the upcoming Hitmakers issue, on newsstands and on Variety.com starting November 21st. At this year’s event, Variety unveiled the Hitmakers covers, which include profiles of Kendrick Lamar (Artist Hitmaker of the Year), DJ Khaled (Mediabase POWERPLAYLIST Award), and Scooter Braun (Executive Hitmaker of the Year). Additionally, Hailee Steinfeld received the Crossover Artist Award for her stellar works in both the film and music fields.

The star-studded brunch kicked off with a welcome speech by Variety’s Executive Music Editor, Shirley Halperin welcoming the room of guests that were filled with those featured in this year’s Hitmakers List – chosen from the 30 most consumed songs of 2017 (year-to-date). Jem Aswad, Senior Music Editor for Variety then came to the stage and presented Kendrick Lamar with the Hitmaker of the Year Award. As Kendrick accepted the honor he said “I’ve been doing this for a long time, since I was 13, 14 years old,” Lamar said. “To hone in the title of a hitmaker means a lot because we put a lot of time and a lot of effort [in the studio].” Lamar continued, “I thank each and every one of you for allowing me to evolve and let me make these weird a— songs that y’all like.” DJ Khaled was also very thankful to receive the Mediabase PowerPlaylist Award stating, “This is the type of cloth talk that we work hard for,” DJ Khaled told the crowd, before detailing how hard he works to nab collaborations with the industry’s top artists. “Every time I see Kendrick, I’m sure he’ll tell you, I whisper in his ear and say, ‘I got something for us,’” he admitted.