John Legend, Jimmy Jam, and Quincy Jones have joined the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective.
On Thursday, bosses at the organisation announced the formation of the group, which will be fronted by a number of Black music creators and professionals aiming to highlight Black voices in the music world.
Multiple Grammy winner Legend, Jam and Jones will serve as co-chairs alongside veteran executives Debra Lee, Sylvia Rhone, and Jeffrey Harleston.
“The Black Music Collective is necessary to help drive the Recording Academy into a new era,” Harvey Mason Jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Creating an open space for Black music creators can only benefit our membership as a whole. Through the past few months, I’ve been personally invested in propelling this collective along with chapter leadership within the Academy. Together, we will elevate Black music creators within our organization and the industry at large.”
Legend has previously been critical of the Recording Academy, which distributes the Grammy Awards, and the organisation’s failure to recognise Black musicians.
He told Entertainment Weekly in January, “It’s almost impossible for a Black artist to win album of the year. It’s like, how many years do we have to see Beyonce getting snubbed? Kanye (West) has never won album of the year. It’s kind of insane, actually…We’ve got to do something, because that’s a terrible record.”
Leave a Reply