The Recording Academy's Black Music Collective is handing out its major honors during Grammy Week, and the lineup is all heavy hitters. Pharrell Williams is getting the Global Impact Award named for Dr. Dre, while both Brandy and Kirk Franklin will receive the Icon Award. The ceremony happens in Los Angeles just before the main Grammy show. Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. called all three artists visionaries with legacies that go beyond just music, influencing culture for generations.
Pharrell is being recognized amid a packed schedule, coming off producing a Grammy-nominated album for Clipse while still running the men's fashion division for Louis Vuitton. Brandy just wrapped a major reunion tour with Monica and has a new memoir on the way. Franklin, recently honored at the BET Awards, continues to bridge gospel and mainstream audiences with his music and podcast work. The Collective's selections spotlight artists whose work has consistently shaped the industry over decades, framing the event as a celebration of enduring Black cultural influence right before the big awards night.
Pharrell is being recognized amid a packed schedule, coming off producing a Grammy-nominated album for Clipse while still running the men's fashion division for Louis Vuitton. Brandy just wrapped a major reunion tour with Monica and has a new memoir on the way. Franklin, recently honored at the BET Awards, continues to bridge gospel and mainstream audiences with his music and podcast work. The Collective's selections spotlight artists whose work has consistently shaped the industry over decades, framing the event as a celebration of enduring Black cultural influence right before the big awards night.
