David Ali Accepts Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year Award: ‘It’s a Dream, It’s an Honor’

David Ali, CEO of Above Ground Entertainment, was named Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players’ Executive of the Year. His award was  presented (Sept. 9) by Gail Mitchell, Billboard’s Editor at Large, R&B/Hip-Hop. In her remarks, Mitchell drew from Ali’s profile featured in Billboard’s 2026 R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players issue, underscoring his “investing in people” philosophy. “With this job,” Ali notes in the profile, “you’re signing up to be the person who’s got to be there for your artist through thick and thin. And I love it.”

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In addition to two-time Grammy Award winner Kehlani, Above Ground Entertainment’s management clients include Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Destin Conrad and independent rapper-entrepreneur Larry June. Ali initially founded Above Ground as an events promotion company in San Francisco in 2008. Moving bases to Los Angeles in 2013, Ali expanded Above Ground into a full-service management and entertainment company.

After giving shout outs to Kehlani, whom he’s managed for nearly 13 years; Conrad, who was presented with Billboard’s Rising R&B Star of the Year the same evening, and June, Ali noted that the honor really belongs to his whole Above Ground Entertainment team: “Without them, there ain’t no me.”

He continued in part, “Shout out to Atlantic Records. We’ve had an incredible 18 months, though it’s been about 10 years. But these last 18 months have been incredible. I’ve got to shout out EMPIRE; we have a great business together. And also to Live Nation … Together we’ve been able to take our people around the world. It’s a blessing.”