Frank Ocean will be breaking his typically reclusive routine to present Rick Rubin with a special honor at Spotify’s inaugural Secret Genius Awards.
The newly announced awards show, which is set to take place on Nov. 1 at the Vibiana Cathedral in Los Angeles, will highlight individuals “possessing talents as impactful to the industry as the superstars they support and foster quietly from behind the scenes.”
Per Spotify, the awards will highlight artists in 13 categories, with Rick Rubin selected as the first-ever recipient of the Legendary Genius Award.
“There is likely no better person to help us tell the importance of Spotify’s Secret Genius Awards narrative better than Rick Rubin, a true legend to our industry,” Troy Carter, Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify, said in a statement Thursday (Oct. 26). “While Rick’s greatness is far from a secret at this stage of his impressive career, he is an inspiration to all the quietly known producers, songwriters, and artists, who are responsible for the music we discover and love every day.”
As reported, Benny Blanco, Max Martin, Noah 40, Doc McKinney, Frank Dukes, Metro Boomin, Dave Sitek and Starchild, among others, have all been nominated for the inaugural awards. At this time, it is unclear if the event will be streamed or broadcasted live, with hosts, presenters and performers also set to be announced at a later date.
Rubin was one of the lone people entrusted with hearing Frank Ocean’s 2016 album, blonde, prior to its release, making it that much more fitting for Ocean to be able to return Rubin’s praises.