ATLANTA — A first-of-its-kind summit celebrating Black music is winding down in Atlanta this weekend.
Unite Atlanta and the Black American Music Association is wrapping up its first ever Black Music Week. The 13-day summit is dedicated to all things surrounding Black music, arts, technology and culture.
The history of Black music was a driving force in organizing the inaugural summit for Michael Mauldin, chairman of the Black American Music Association.
“The inspiration to make this happen was acknowledging our history and saluting Black music at its core,” Mauldin said.
From May 25 to June 6, the celebration featured several events across the city of Atlanta like the Jack the Rapper (Remix) Conference, a fireside chat with Mayor Andre Dickens and Jermaine Dupri, and the second-ever Black American Music Awards show.
Multiple generations of Black musicians were honored at the awards show Tuesday night at Morehouse College’s Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. Music groups Cameo, Brick, S.O.S. Band, and Jagged Edge were recognized for their contributions to Black music.
T.I., Jermaine Dupri, T.I. Anthony Hamilton, and Kenny Lattimore were among the award-winning artists at the show. Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were in attendance to give Jermaine Dupri the association’s global creative impact award named in their honor.
Before taking home the Voice of Soul award, Hamilton said he was proud to be a part of an event that represents the Black community.
“Not only just celebrate what’s happened to me, but what’s happened to those who paved the way and those who have come behind me. I’m always honored to be a part of that. That cloth is what I want to be a part of and I do it proudly,” Hamilton said.
For Demmette Guidry, chairman of the Black American Music Association, the Black American Music Awards show is a special night.
“It means everything to us,” Guidry said. “Black American music is the greatest art form on the planet.”
The Black Music Week summit also partnered with Veromo Enterprises, a South African based event planning company, to celebrate the diaspora roots of Black American music and host a creative industry exposition.
Mauldin said there’s a lot to celebrate when it comes to Black music; different cultures, styles, genres, and more.
“The artform of Black music has more genres than any other,” Mauldin said. “Whether it’s rap, hip hop, jazz, blues, even rock and roll, even country. That all fits within Black American music.”
Choosing Atlanta as the host city for the first-ever Black Music Week was a no-brainer for the music executive. It’s the place he has called home for more than 50 years and where he raised his son, Jermaine Dupri.
“A lot of folks don’t know Jermaine’s last name is Mauldin. Dupri is his middle name…,” Mauldin said. “For our family legacy, it means everything. I moved here in 1974, which was the same year Maynard Jackson took office. I also happened to have a young son that was only about a year or two old. He grew up in the Atlanta culture, grew around it. I’ve been working with acts since the mid-70s from a production standpoint and he was around that.”
Mauldin believes there’s no other city in the world quite like it and its contributions to Black music are vast.
“Hopefully one day the world recognizes that Atlanta is the epicenter for Black American music,” Mauldin said.
The summit coincides with the start of Black Music Month, which is observed every June. Mauldin believes commemorations like Black Music Week and Black Music Month will continue to be important and applauded. He hopes to continue the summit annually for the next 20 years.
Black Music Week wraps up on Saturday with a 5-on-5 youth soccer tournament to kick off the Atlanta Rhythm Cup summer series. About 80 kids between the ages 12-15 will compete at Morehouse College’s BT Harvey Stadium.
