Slim and Birdman on the cover of Billboard's Urban Power Players List 2012

Defining power and who possesses it is an ever-changing equation. It's a challenge that Billboard editors revisit each year with the Power Players series, which includes Women in Music, Latin Power Players, this year's inaugural Power 100 and the upcoming 40 Under 40. To that roster, add this issue's inaugural Urban Power List, profiling the 25 biggest players in the industry. The unranked tally targets executives whose concentration is urban, not executives who have oversight of urban music but also substantial responsibilities with other genres.