Kendrick Lamar and DJ Khaled receive honors at Variety Hitmakers event

Kendrick Lamar and Dj Khaled were honored with prizes at Variety magazine's inaugural Hitmakers event on Saturday (18Nov17).

The Alright rapper was named the recipient of the Variety Hitmaker of the Year Award at the event, which was held at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the launch of the magazine's first music franchise, titled Hitmakers.

"I've been doing this for a long time, since I was 13, 14 years old," Kendrick said when accepting the award. "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).

"I thank each and every one of you for allowing me to evolve and let me make these weird a*s songs that y'all like. These songs represent me and who I am. I want to continue to push that envelope and hopefully I continue to have y'all ears to do so."

Wild Thoughts producer DJ Khaled was honored with the Mediabase PowerPlaylist Award, and during his speech he detailed how he scored collaborations with the likes of Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Chance the Rapper.

He added, "Every time I see Kendrick, I'm sure he'll tell you, I whisper in his ear and say, 'I got something for us.'"

The final honoree was actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, who received the Variety Crossover Artist Award, and said the recognition was "a real moment of validation and a personal realization that I am accomplishing what I set out to achieve a very long time ago."