Music Legends Williams, Brandy, Franklin to be Honored

By Black PR Wire

(Black PR Wire) SANTA MONICA, CALIF. – The Recording Academy®’s Black Music Collective (BMC) will host the fourth annual Recording Academy Honors, celebrating the illustrious careers of music legends Pharrell Williams, Brandy and Kirk Franklin on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. The GRAMMY® Week occasion will happen on the Fairmont Century Plaza, simply days earlier than Music’s Largest Evening®.

Williams can be introduced with the Dr. Dre International Influence Award, recognizing not solely his musical achievements but in addition his entrepreneurial innovation, philanthropic efforts and far-reaching cultural affect worldwide. Brandy will obtain the Black Music Icon Award, recognizing Black music creators whose artistry, innovation and repair have formed the trade and impressed generations world wide. Franklin may even obtain the Black Music Icon Award.

Since its inception, the BMC has remained devoted to championing and empowering Black music creators and trade leaders. Previous honorees embody Alicia Keys, Dr. Dre, JAY-Z, John Legend, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Wayne, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, and Sylvia Rhone. In additional help of its mission to domesticate the following era of Black leaders in music, the BMC awarded $85,000 in scholarship grants final 12 months to Black school college students and HBCU music applications.

“Pharrell, Brandy and Kirk are true visionaries and masters of their craft. Every has constructed a legacy that transcends style, defies conference and shapes tradition. Their artistry continues to encourage generations of artists world wide. I’m thrilled to hitch the Black Music Collective in honoring three of music’s brightest stars in January and celebrating their immeasurable contributions to the trade,” mentioned Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy.

Williams is a 13-time GRAMMY Award-winning, Academy Award-nominated musician, filmmaker, philanthropist, and the Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton, with over 10 billion mixed world music streams thus far.  This 12 months, Williams produced “Let God Kind Em Out,” the extremely anticipated return from Clipse, which earned 5 GRAMMY nominations, together with Album Of The Yr, Greatest Rap Track, Greatest Rap Efficiency, Greatest Rap Album, and Greatest Music Video. In 2024, Pharrell launched his critically acclaimed animated biopic “PIECE BY PIECE,” directed by Morgan Neville in partnership with Focus Options and LEGO®. The movie encompasses a 21-track soundtrack, together with 5 new unique songs written and carried out by Williams alongside 16 catalog tracks from his profession. Its titular single earned him a GRAMMY nomination for Greatest Movie Music, bringing his profession complete to 43 GRAMMY nominations. Past music and movie, Williams based YELLOW in 2019, a nonprofit dedicated to night the percentages for youth via schooling. That very same 12 months, he launched the primary SOMETHING IN THE WATER pageant. In 2020, he debuted Humanrace, a model devoted to empowering people of their pursuit of well-being. Williams additionally launched Black Ambition, a nonprofit offering pathways to success for Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs.

Multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and actress Brandy is without doubt one of the most influential artists in pop music historical past. She first rose to fame within the ’90s together with her quadruple-platinum self-titled debut album, her starring function within the hit sitcom Moesha and her iconic efficiency in Disney’s tv adaptation of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.” Revered by friends and followers as “the Vocal Bible,” Brandy is well known for her unparalleled, emotionally wealthy voice and genre-defining catalog – from her five-time-platinum album “By no means Say By no means” and its GRAMMY-winning basic “The Boy Is Mine” to her acclaimed 2020 album “b7.” In 2023, she launched “Christmas With Brandy,” a vacation album highlighting her continued evolution as a vocalist and storyteller. She continues to increase her artistic imprint via appearing, with roles in A24’s “The Entrance Room,” Disney’s “Descendants: The Rise of Purple” and the 2025 movie “I Know What You Did Final Summer season.” She is presently making ready to launch her memoir “PHASES,” described as the results of numerous hours of reflection, work and therapeutic.

Franklin is a 20-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist, songwriter and producer whose revolutionary fusion of gospel, R&B, hip-hop, and pop has redefined modern gospel music for greater than three many years. His critically acclaimed 2023 album “Father’s Day” featured the No. 1 single “All Issues,” incomes him his twentieth GRAMMY Award, adopted by the uplifting 2025 launch “Do It Once more.” Franklin lately acquired the Final Icon Award on the 2025 BET Awards for his enduring affect throughout music and leisure, and debuted his unique collection “Den of Kings,” which drew over 1 million views in its first week. His affect spans generations and genres, highlighted by collaborations with artists reminiscent of Likelihood the Rapper, Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, and Mariah Carey. Past music, he continues to broaden his artistic footprint via tv and movie, in addition to his SiriusXM channel, Kirk Franklin’s Reward. A dedicated mentor and advocate, he helps rising expertise via initiatives like Camp Lotus and champions organizations reminiscent of Compassion Worldwide and St. Jude Youngsters’s Analysis Hospital. He stays dedicated to inspiring individuals worldwide with a message rooted in religion, love and resilience.

Franklin was initially set to be honored through the 2025 occasion previous to the Recording Academy’s choice to condense GRAMMY Week programming to prioritize Los Angeles wildfire response. See right here for Franklin’s preliminary announcement because the Black Music Icon Award honoree.

Returning for the fourth consecutive 12 months to supply Recording Academy Honors is MVD Inc, with Adam Blackstone additionally returning as music supervisor for the night. Visitors will get pleasure from specialty cocktails by PATRÓN Tequila all through the star-studded celebration.

ABOUT THE RECORDING ACADEMY

The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Devoted to making sure the recording arts stay a thriving a part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s historical past whereas investing in its future via the GRAMMY Museum®, advocates on behalf of music creators, helps music individuals in instances of want via MusiCares®, and celebrates creative excellence via the GRAMMY Awards® — music’s solely peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. Because the world’s main society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a extra inspiring world for creators.

For extra details about the GRAMMY Awards and the Recording Academy, please go to GRAMMY.com and RecordingAcademy.com. For breaking information and unique content material, be part of the Recording Academy’s social communities on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Fb, LinkedIn, Threads, and X. For media property, please go to the Recording Academy’s Press Room.

ABOUT THE BLACK MUSIC COLLECTIVE 

The Black Music Collective is an advisory board of music trade leaders devoted to advancing alternatives in Black music and championing elevated illustration throughout the sphere. Powered by the Recording Academy’s DREAM Community, the Collective serves as a central hub for creators and enterprise leaders throughout all genres, uniting visionary voices to set unified objectives, foster neighborhood and drive significant change inside the trade. To study extra concerning the Black Music Collective, go to right here. For unique content material, observe the Black Music Collective on Instagram and Fb. 

ABOUT MVD INC

MVD Inc. is an award-winning world artistic and experiential company working on the intersection of tradition, creativity, and model storytelling. Based by visionary sisters Miatta Johnson and Massah David, MVD is understood for producing culturally defining campaigns and platforms that resonate globally and form industries. With a confirmed means to translate cultural moments into iconic, high-impact experiences, the company has set new requirements throughout music, movie, style, and know-how. Trusted by companions together with Sony Footage, Common Music Group, ESSENCE, and the Recording Academy, MVD delivers work that drives outcomes whereas influencing the cultural zeitgeist.