The Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame will host its inaugural induction ceremony on June 17 with a class including James Brown, Missy Elliott, Usher and OutKast.
The Black American Music Association and Georgia Entertainment Caucus targeted June – Black Music Month – to honor artists who have impacted Black culture and the community.
Culled from a list of 38 nominees, the 12 inductees are: Brown, Otis Redding, Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder (Foundational Inductees); Michael Jackson (Legacy Artists); Sean Combs (Mainstream Mogul); Shirley Caesar (Gospel Female); Kirk Franklin (Gospel Male); Missy Elliott (Hip-Hop Female); OutKast (Hip-Hop Male); Beyonce (Mainstream Female) and Usher (Mainstream Male).
The Walk of Fame will be permanently installed in front of Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta. The emblems denoting the inductees were designed by D.L. Warfield and created in collaboration with sculptor and historian Ed Dwight.
Founded in 2017, the non-profit Black American Music Association is a professional trade organization comprised of music professionals, creators, scholars and stakeholders, while the Atlanta-based Georgia Entertainment Caucus focuses on bridging the gap between the state’s political sector and the entertainment industry.
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