Breonna Taylor's Mother Presents Cardi B With Woman Of The Year Honor

All eyes were on Cardi B during Thursday night's (December 10) 2020 Billboard Women in Music event, which was hosted by Teyana Taylor.

As their Women of the Year honoree, the rapper, 28, took to the program to accept the title after an introduction from Breonna Taylor's mom, Tamika Palmer. "From the start, Cardi has used her platform to spread the truth about what happened to Breonna and to reaffirm that black women's lives matter. Cardi B's impact reaches far beyond music," Palmer said during her introductions, before the superstar appeared on-screen.

During her acceptance speech, Bardi shared a bit about her plans for 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic hit the globe. "I couldn't put out the visuals the way that I wanted. It messed up my creative space. You know, I think everybody this year was messed up," she said, before making mention of her mega-smash, "WAP," featuring Megan Thee Stallion. "I never thought it was going to be so big. It pissed off a whole bunch of Republicans for no reason. It was just weird."

Beyond her year, the chart-topper turned her attention to "all the girls out there who are just like [her]." "When I came into the music industry, I didn't know if other people would accept me," the rapper confessed, acknowledging the progress that she's made in her music. "I wanted to be the best that I can be at anything I do. You got to put your mind to it. When I first became an adult, it always been my dream to be an artist, but when bills come and situations come, you're just, like, 'Damn. What am I going to do in the next five, four years?' You're just working to survive and pay and everything and that's not what life is about. Life is about making your dreams come true, but in order to make your dreams come true, don't think it's going to come and fall from the sky to your lap. You got to put in the work."

Among the other honorees at the ceremony included Chloe x Halle (Rising Star Award), Dolly Parton (Hitmaker Award), Dua Lipa (Powerhouse Award), Jennifer Lopez (Icon Award) and Jessie Reyez (Impact Award), as well as Executives of the Year Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas, the executives behind this year's #TheShowMustBePaused social justice initiative.

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