Doechii, RAYE, Shaboozey, and Quavo were among the award recipients at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch on Saturday, December 7.

The invitation-only event made the publication’s eighth annual Hitmakers celebration, each being recognized for their contributions to the Grammy Awards Best New Artist nominees or their breakouts as rising stars. For the 2025 Grammys Doechiii is nominated for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance (“Nissan Altima”) and Best Rap Album (‘Alligator Bites Never Heal’); RAYE is nominated for Best New Artist, Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for her partial contribution as engineer on Lucky Daye album ‘Algorithm’; Shaboozey is nominated for Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Best Country Song, Best Country Solo Performance (“A Bar Song (Tipsy)”), and Best Melodic Rap Performance for his appearance on Beyoncé song “Spaghetti.”

In her acceptance speech, Doechii acknowledged young “future icons” who are “working so hard to put their art out into the world. “A lot of the time being a disruptor means being misunderstood, but still having the audacity to create anyway,” she said in the first clip below. “So, I hope that by watching me live my dream, it gives you the audacity to be wildly magnificent.”

In an emotional moment from the event, Quavo reflected on losing his nephew and fallen Migos member, Takeoff, to gun violence in 2022.

“Losing my brother Takeoff was the worst moment in my life. I didn’t know where to go, where to turn–I didn’t know if I still wanted to make music,” Quavo told the audience. The rapper, who’s since made anti-violence his mission through the Rocket Foundation, dedicated his award to “everyone fighting for change and fighting for my brother Takeoff, who inspires me every day.”

Also recognized during the event were Charli XCX, Jack Antonoff, Jelly Roll, Benson Boone, Amy Allen and Daniel Nigro.