BMAC's Grammy Week: AI Panel with Will.i.am, Cardi B Masterclass, and a Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Dinner
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) hosted a series of events during Grammy Week, including an AI panel featuring Will.i.am, a masterclass on Cardi B's marketing success, and a dinner co-hosted by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
"It’s an awesome time to be creative and use AI. Don’t just use it to do what we did yesterday because it’s going to do it better than you. AI does not have imagination. It’s a regurgitation of imagination. And the way to beat it to be AI-proof is to throw your imagination on full f—king blast and not repeat what we did yesterday."
So declared Will.i.am during an informative panel discussion hosted by the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), Universal Music Group (UMG) and Billboard. The seven-time Grammy winner, who will be teaching an AI course at Arizona State University, joined executives and creatives to dissect AI's benefits and challenges at the event, "Artists & Music in the Age of AI."
The event, held at Will.i.am’s FYI campus in Los Angeles, featured two panels. The first, moderated by Blue Note Records president Don Was, included Stability AI’s Prem Akkaraju, Songwriters of North America executive Erin McAnally, Splice’s Kakul Srivastava, and Sound Labs executive BT. Sitting with Will.i.am on the second panel were KLAY Vision’s Ary Attie, NVIDIA’s Shari Reich, and Udio’s Andrew Sanchez.
UMG executive Michael Nash summarized the consensus: "The hopeful thing is we’re having this discussion now. It’s early days, and there is an opportunity for a collaboration to take place that’s going to align the future of AI- driven innovation with the interests of the artist community."
Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, BMAC co-founder and president/CEO, stated, “Innovation should expand opportunity, not erase it... When creators are included in the decision-making, innovation becomes a force for progress, not disruption. A seat at the table for creators is not optional. It is essential.”
Later, BMAC hosted its annual Music Maker Dinner with producer icons Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis at West Hollywood’s Sun Rose Room. Industry executives joined BMAC co-founders Shawn Holiday, Caron Veazey, and Damien Smith. Attendees included ASCAP president Paul Williams, Def Jam Recordings CEO Tunji Balogun, Victoria Monet, Jon Batiste, Adam Blackstone, B2K, Flavor Flav, Amazon’s Phylicia Fant, and Interscope Geffen A&M’s Nicole Wyskoarko.
Jonathan Azu, founder/CEO of Culture Collective, received BMAC’s inaugural Music Maker Impact Award. The 2026 BMAC x ASCAP x Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant winners were Ripton Powell and Sam Paulino.
BMAC began its Grammy Week with the masterclass “Am I The Drama? How Cardi B Turned Authenticity into a Marketing Superpower.” Cardi B's team, including manager Shawn Holiday, Courtney Worrell, Angelique Jones, and Allison Barrie Rand, spoke with moderator Sierra Lever. BMAC partnered with CURATED by Live Nation for the session about Cardi B, whose Little Miss Drama Tour begins Feb. 11.
Related Articles
- Bad Bunny's Historic Hot 100 Takeover: Is He the Biggest Pop Star on Earth?
- Copyright Victory: ABKCO and UMG Win Lawsuit, Clarify 'Fair Use' in Rock Docs
- Greatest Pop Stars Podcast: Reflecting on January 2026's Chart-Toppers and Grammy Buzz
Related Articles
Listen to Willy William on Foxsoundi. Click here to listen!
Comments (0)
Login to comment