Million Dollar Studio Opens in Detroit Thanks to Donors Usher and Big Sean

 Good news Detroit youth and broader community. Thanks to the generosity of two very high profile musicians, a new media hub has opened at the historic and recently renovated Michigan Central Station. Usher and native Detroiter Big Sean combined their resources and contributed $1,000.000.00 to the project. For more information  visit this link and check out the background story on You Tube:

Grammys Speak Truth to Power, D'Angelo & Roberta Flack Remembered Brilliantly

 Last night's Grammy show was an amazing platform on which artists united in a powerful demonstration of the importance and power of the First Amendment. The freedom to speak one's mind freely without hesitation or fear of reprisal. Last night the reverberations were in protest of Ice. Freedom of Speech  is a right that has made the US envied around the world and is one of the primary reasons that thousands of immigrants flock to our country yearly.

 The truth flowed eloquently whether it was a very short sentence by Billy Eilish who stated "You can't be illegal on stolen land", Bad Bunny's "Ice Out" followed by "love  is more powerful than hate, including a reminder that "we are human, we are American." The cameras switched across the audience and zoomed in on what appeared to be a very proud faced Gloria Estefan who looked genuinely pleased about what he was saying. 

Shaboozey's prepared speech extending gratitude to his mother an immigrant who worked three jobs to support him and his four siblings was an emotional moment for him as tears streamed from his eyes.

Kehlani who received her first award ever, the Grammy for Best R&b performance, mentioned the power of all the voices coming together and concluded with an expletive deletive "f... Ice."

Olivia Dean who picked up a Grammy for Best New Artist mentioned how she came from a family of immigrants and they should be recognized for their bravery.

It was a good show. Trevor Noah did a great job hosting. The interlude between him and Bad Bunny where he got him to sing along in Spanish was priceless.

That memorial tribute to D'Angelo and Roberta Flack curated-led by Lauren Hill and the other artists who have passed on the year past was brilliant, very stunning, spiritually and musically uplifting. They took us to church--Lela Hathaway, October London, Bilal, John Baptiste, Chaka Kahn and John Legend. Check out the videos on YouTube:

Pharrell Williams received the Dr.Dre Global Impact Award for 2026:

Other performances to check out that were memorable in their own right. Leon Thomas picked up a Grammy for his song MUTT which I understand Chris Brown's vocals influenced and  were featured on.

Btw,that was a very soulful performance of Yukon by Justin Beiber. I was just a little surprised by his attention grabbing  sleek attire. He only wore shorts and socks. Here's an explanation behind his outfit at this link.

  Stay tuned for podcast episode.

Edited by Cynthia Wilson on 2.6.26 @5:33p.m 

More on my podcast.

Pharell Williams Wins Dr. Dre Global Impact Award

Iconic producer and humanitarian Pharrell Williams was awarded the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards show held at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, California. Pharrell a partner of the production team the Neptunes has been producing hits with icons like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and other notable Rap and Hip-Hop recording artists for decades.

He was Co-Director, a keynote speaker, and among the performing  musicians at the Grace for the World concert held at the Vatican last year in September. Also performing were Andreas Boccelli, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Clipse, Angelique Kidjo, Teddy Swims, Jelly Roll and others. Full list of those performing at the Grace for the World Concert  at the Vatican, the concert sponsors, and the occasion for the musical celebration can be found at the link below:

https://share.google/aimode/6tMVmlk3KVI4dlKbC

For more information about the concert, check out the You Tube video at this related post.

68th Annual Grammy Awards

 

See podcast at the link:

The 68th Annual Grammy Awards take place on Sunday, February 1,2026 at the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles. Trevor Noah is hosting again this year.

Special Grammy pre-show celebrations and honors have taken place during the week leading up to Sunday's biggest night in music. Music Cares person  of the year  is Mariah Carey. She was celebrated for her philanthropy and career achievements at their annual gala that was held on January 30, 2026. Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Footnote Fighters and Charlie Puth  were among the artists who participated in a beautiful song tribute, re-imagining her songs in their own styles.

  In her speech Mariah encouraged artists and the puublic to continue giving to the Music Cares foundation because artists need care and they need community. She also stated "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be here with all these magnificent artists singing my songs back to me, infusing them with their own artistry and giving them all new life. This has given me life.”

Two new award categories were established this year, Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover.

Some of the nominations in popular categories are listed below:

Best R&B Song

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings

Heart Of A Woman

Summer Walkerst R&B Song

Folded
Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Dawit Kamal Wilson, songwriters (Kehlani)

Heart Of A Woman
David Bishop & Summer Walker, songwriters (Summer Walker)

It Depends
Nico Baran, Chris Brown, Ant Clemons, Ephrem Lopez Jr., Ryan Press, Bryson Tiller, Elliott Trent & Dewain Whitmore Jr., songwriters (Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller)

Overqualified
James John Abrahart Jr, Durand Bernarr, John Derisme, Egberto "Budda" Foster, Amaire Johnson, Frank Moka, Cary Singer & Chase Worrell songwriters (Durand Bernarr)

YES IT IS
Jariuce Banks, Lazaro Andres Camejo, Mike Hector, Peter Lee Johnson, Rodney Jones Jr., Ali Prawl & Leon Thomas, songwriters (Leon Thomas)

Best R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

YUKON
Justin Bieber

It Depends
Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller

Folded
Kehlani

MUTT — Live From NPR's Tiny Desk
Leon Thomas

Heart Of A Woman
Summer Walker

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young

Song Of The Year

Abracadabra
Lady Gaga, Henry Walter & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

Anxiety
Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)

APT
Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed,Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas & Henry Walter, songwriters (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)

DtMF
Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Spry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, songwriters (Bad Bunny)

Golden — From KPop Demon Hunters
EJAE, Park Hong Jun, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

Luther
Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar With SZA)

Manchild
Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)

WILDFLOWER
Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

You can locate  a complete list of nominations in all 95 categories, too extensive to list, on the Grammy website at this link.