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On a humid but bustling Thursday afternoon before GRAMMY 2024Prominent figures in the music industry gathered for the Third Annual Recording Academy Awards Presented by the Black Music Collective. Along the event’s black carpet, sStars and industry insiders showed up: taking photos, reconnecting with friends and collaborators, and chatting with the press.
The official GRAMMY Week 2024 The event took place on February 1. – the first day of Black History Month – at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles and was sponsored by Amazon Music and City National Bank. Each year, BMC presents its Global Impact Award to legendary musicians advancing culture and the 2024 honorees. Lenny Kravitz and Mariah CareyIt loomed over the entire night before they even arrived.
flavaflav, wearing his patented watch necklace, was also enthusiastic about the evening. “Being at the GRAMMYs tonight means everything. This is big,” Flav told GRAMMY.com. The rapper then spoke about the two transcendent stars who were honored. “I feel very happy with the honorees. Mariah Carey, I’ve always been proud of her and I love her songs… Lenny Kravitz is my friend. That’s my man. So congratulations, Lenny!”
The importance of the event was felt from the first foot that stepped onto the black carpet. afrobeats star Fireboy DML weighed in on the importance of the night. “I feel honored. It feels good. It’s always important to be in spaces like this,” Fireboy told GRAMMY.com, adding that he is excited about his upcoming fourth album. “It’s important for the culture.”
As attendees inside the packed room anxiously awaited the night’s key guests, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. spoke about the momentum being built through Black Music Collective.
“(Last year) I talked about how wonderful it was to celebrate the second annual BMC event. To me it meant that we established a new tradition. And now the tradition continues with pride,” Mason Jr. told the audience, emphasizing how the influence Black culture can be found in all corners of the world and in all musical genres.
A performance by Nigerian superstar Davido, a first time GRAMMY nominee, spoke of the power of musical diversity at the Academy and BMC. Although the crowd had sat down with their appetizers, many stood up to vibrate as Davido performed his nominated song, “Not Available.”
by the time andra dia, adorned in a bright red leather coat, came to the end of her performance of “Strange Fruit” with support from trumpeter Keyon Harrold, everyone in the ballroom was on their feet. It was a big moment for Day, whose cover of billie vacationThe Cry for Justice of 1939 emphasized the connection between black artists of different genres and times.
Gabby Samone got the second ovation of the night for her performance Nina Simone‘Four women’. Simone has had several major signs as her star has gotten brighter, and her fans include Jennifer Hudson and none other than Mariah Carey. Samone’s performance was followed by a powerful song by Erica Campbellwhose I love you is nominated for Best Gospel Album this year.
With a set by DJ Mannie Fresh, Kravitz took the stage to receive the first BMC Global Impact Award of the night. Introduced by the learner HIS, spoke about the genre influence of “American Woman” on her own career and Kravitz’s own influence from childhood. “The fashion, the confidence, the tough walk and the killer voices made me when I was six years old tell my dad ‘I want to play the guitar’. ‘I want to be a rock star.’ ‘I want to be like Lenny Kravitz,'” HER said.
He then listed some of Kravitz’s other accomplishments, including work on “Rustin,” the new Netflix film about critical civil rights architect Bayard Rustin, as well as Kravitz’s work in philanthropy through his Let Love Rule Foundation.
Once the noise subsided, Kravitz also took a trip back to childhood. He shared how, when he went to see the jackson 5 with his family and was so hooked that he dreamed of being part of the historic company. “I fantasized that I was his long-lost brother and turned the Jackson 5 into the Jackson 6,” he said.
Kravitz also talked about the various musical genres that helped shape him, coming from many different corners. From his “grandfather’s block in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn,” where he “witnessed the birth of hip-hop,” to being shaped by legends like Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye and Nina Simone. He also shouted out her godmother, the late great actress Cicely Tyson.
In a particularly cool combination of gender and generation, quavo provided vocals for “Fly Away”, flanked by P-funk all star George Clinton, Earth Wind and Fire bassist Verdine White, and Hot red chili peppers drummer Chad Smith. At the end of the performance, Kravitz approached each artist and hugged them.
After a brief intermission, record producer and BMC president rich love shouted leaders, including the Recording Academy board of directors and Ryan Butler, vice president of DEI. Love spoke of Black Music Collective as a space where everyone can feel at home. “The life of a creator is very hard. And lonely. That’s why it’s valuable to build a community,” he emphasized.
The Black Music Collective scholarship program, in collaboration with Amazon Music, Love said, will once again support HBCU students who aspire to be in the next generation of music industry power players. In 2023, scholarships were awarded to students from Florida A&M University, Texas Southern University, Norfolk State University, among others. Love remembers the mentors he had when he was young and is glad that BMC is giving back as well.
Last night’s show found one of the few people on the planet that even Mariah Carey could be star-struck by. Before the pop legend received his Global Impact Award, Stevie wonder He appeared and sat down at a keyboard.
“I’m so excited to be here to celebrate someone who has been a friend and who I’ve been a fan of since the beginning of hearing his voice,” he said, before serenading Carey with “I just called to say I love you.” . ending the performance with “I love you, I love you, you’re my hero.”
Mariah Carey was apparently shocked and dazzled. Once she got over her shock, Carey detailed the pressure she faced early in her career to avoid leaning toward black music. “When I started in the music business, I was often told to ‘conform’ to certain expectations. I wasn’t encouraged to focus on my love of black music,” she told the crowd.
Later, some of Carey’s other friends and collaborators performed, including Baby face, who once sang backing vocals on Carey’s “Melt Away.” (Carey later returned the favor by singing “Every Time I Close My Eyes.”) Another collaborator of Carey, Busta rhymes, performed the crowd favorite “I Know What You Want” and sincerely thanked Carey for her boldness and desire to “run with the wolves.” Tori Kelly also sang “Vision of Love” during this segment and earlier in the night, gospel legend Yolanda Adams performed “Make It Happen.” The third annual Recording Academy Honors/BMC event certainly did Make it happen, as attendees poured out of the ballroom and onto the streets full of pride.
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