8.8.2023
Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) Adds Rapper and Activist Cordae & Shawn Gee, President of Live Nation Urban, to Executive Leadership Council
The Announcement:
LOS ANGELES (August 8, 2023) – The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) announced that rapper and activist Cordae and Shawn Gee, President of Live Nation Urban, have joined the organization’s Executive Leadership Council. Cordae and Shawn Gee, who received the Social Impact Award at BMAC’s inaugural annual gala, join a growing list of industry leaders who have joined BMAC in its fight against systemic racism within the music business and the culture at large.
“I am very happy to join the Executive Leadership Council of BMAC because they’re fighting for what’s right for artists and songwriters,” says Cordae. “Right now, the system of the music business is flawed and disproportionately slanted against black artists, especially when signing record deals. BMAC is taking the necessary steps to change these inadequacies. I believe the work BMAC is doing now will pay great dividends for artists of today and the future.”
“It’s an honor to be invited to join the BMAC ELC and be able to work alongside so many great men and women whom I admire and respect. The idea of systemic racism in the music industry did not begin 3 or 4 years ago, it’s been a part of the fabric of the industry for generations. Likewise the problems will not be eliminated in a few years either, but it’s the work of organizations like BMAC that’s laying the foundation for generational progress and change. I’m excited to join the team!” says Shawn Gee, president of Live Nation Urban.
“Black Music Action Coalition is excited to welcome Cordae and Shawn Gee to our executive leadership council,” says Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder/Chair of BMAC. “As we move into our third year of advocacy, it’s important to continue to grow the organization by including more of our industry leaders to help us shape and execute our agenda for accountability, diversity and inclusion. Cordae is a great representation of this generation’s potential and desire to use their platform to impact society in a meaningful way. The artist community has always been the heartbeat of any movement for change. And Shawn Gee’s vision and ability to execute that vision has proven to be invaluable as we create equity and balance in the industry. We have several initiatives we look forward to announcing soon.”
“The voice of the artists will always be the strongest tool we can use to foster change, not just within our industry, but society as a whole,” says Shawn Holiday, Co-Founder/Co-Chair of BMAC’s ELC. “Cordae will be great addition to the strong group of industry leaders that makes up the Black Music Action Coalition.”
Cordae will participate in Save The Music x Black Music Action Coalition Summit at 1500 or Nothin Academy on September 19th, kicking off BMAC Week in L.A. in advance of the 2023 BMAC Gala on September 21st. This one-day summit, called “Remixing the Industry: Creating Pathways For Students of Color,” focuses on improving awareness of and access to music-related careers for underrepresented students. Modeled after the successful BMAC Music Business Accelerator Program at Tennessee State University (TSU), an HCBU (historically-black college or university) in Nashville , the Save The Music x BMAC summit will be a unique opportunity to inform and educate the next generation of music industry professionals. As part of the program, Cordae, along with his team, will host a fireside chat with the students, offering a realistic look at what it takes to have a career in entertainment today.
Click HERE for more information on BMAC’s 2023 Gala.
This September, BMAC will open general membership to music industry professionals and advocates who want to join the unified force of action for racial equity and justice within the music industry and to use the power of our collective voice to improve communities and drive systemic change. For more information, please visit: https://www.bmacoalition.org
Since Black Music Action Coalition’s inception in 2020, the organization has been instrumental in addressing systemic racism within the music business and advocating on behalf of Black artists, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, executives, lawyers and other impassioned industry professionals.
Some of BMAC’s recent initiatives include a notable partnership with the Academy of Country Music gave rise to the “OnRamp” program, a pioneering guaranteed income initiative supporting 20 young, Black music community members, including artists and industry professionals, in Nashville, TN. Moreover, the group joined forces with Audiomack to launch the groundbreaking “Black Music Executives Are The Future” internship and mentorship program, offering five Black undergraduates or recent graduates invaluable paid internships at Audiomack, coupled with mentorship from distinguished music industry executives. Additionally, BMAC unveiled the second edition of its Music Industry Action Report Card (MIARC), assessing numerous organizations across various categories – labels, publishers, streaming services, live entertainment, touring, and the Recording Academy – and their actions to uplift Black employees and contribute to racial justice initiatives. Remarkably, these and other initiatives have reached over 5,000 students, provided mentorship to 100 emerging music artists and industry professionals, and directly funded various communities with more than $700,000.
For more information regarding Black Music Action Coalition, please visit bmacoalition.org. For sponsorship opportunities/tables at the BMAC Gala email info@bmacoalition.org.
Please contact Michelle, Annjie, or Destiny for more info.
The Background:
About Black Music Action Coalition
The Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC) endeavors to uphold and actualize the mission of Black Lives Matter in the music industry and reach racial justice not just across labels, publishers, agencies, distributors, and DSP’s but throughout society at large. BMAC works together with leaders from various business leaders to hold their companies accountable and implement a system of checks and balances to ensure change takes root. The group fosters and shepherds various educational, mental health, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, policing, social justice, and political causes that directly impact Black communities.
About Cordae
Cordae knows exactly what he wants to say. He chooses his words and phrases carefully. He speaks from a place of truth. That’s why the three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated, Emmy Award-winning, gold-selling, Maryland-raised rapper has quietly become one of the modern generation’s most trusted narrators. A remarkable life has given him a lot to say. He went from trailer parks and public housing with his mom to stratospheric success. After a series of buzzing singles, he reached critical mass with his 2019 full-length debut, The Lost Boy. It bowed in the Top 15 of the Billboard Top 200 and included four gold-certified singles— “RNP” [feat. Anderson .Paak], “Have Mercy,” “Broke As Fuck,” and “Kung Fu.” Beyond unanimous praise from Billboard, Complex, High Snobiety, New York Times, Pitchfork, and Stereogum, he garnered a pair of GRAMMY® Award nominations in the categories of “Best Rap Album” for The Lost Boy and “Best Rap Song” for “Bad Idea” [feat. Chance the Rapper].
Absorbing wisdom from a life-changing trip to Africa, enduring the loss of a friend gone too soon, and evolving as an artist and a man, he tells this story in widescreen technicolor on his 2022 second full-length offering, From A Birds Eye View [ART@WAR/Atlantic Records]. Cordae followed up the release of his sophomore album with the Facebook exclusive premiere of his visual only, From A Birds Eye View (Live) album. Last summer, he debuted his first TED Talk entitled “The Hi-Level Mindset” which has accumulated over 1.4M views. He continued his takeover of 2022 with a flurry of releases and collaborations. From the release of his Unacceptable EP and the accompanying visuals from both singles, to his collab with Hit-Boy on their “Checkmate” track from the Madden NFL 2023 Soundtrack, Cordae is showing no signs of slowing down. He kicked off 2023, with his explosive collaboration with Anderson .Paak “Two Tens.” And recently released his long-awaited new single, “Make Up Your Mind.” Produced by Dr. Luke.
CONTACT:
For more information on Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC), please contact:
Michelle McDevitt | Audible Treats
Annjelica Houston | Audible Treats
Destiny Riley | Audible Treats
Khalila Douze | Biz 3
Kathryn Frazier | Biz3