The Recording Academy announced today 12-time GRAMMY-winning artist John Legend will be honored during Recording Academy Honors Presented By The Black Music Collective, taking place in-person during GRAMMY Week 2022. Legend will be receiving the first-ever Recording Academy Global Impact Award for his personal and professional achievements in the music industry.
Legend will be celebrated with a performance by Summer Walker, and D-Nice will be spinning music throughout the night, with MC Lyte as the voice of the evening, Adam Blackstone as the musical director and Jimmy Jam, the first Black Chair of the Recording Academy Board of Trustees and Songwriting Hall of Fame inductee, will be making remarks. Additional special guests to be announced at a later date. The inaugural Black Music Collective event is taking place at Resorts World Las Vegas on Sat, April 2, 2022, the evening preceding the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
“It is our distinct honor to celebrate John Legend as the inaugural recipient of the Recording Academy Honors’ Global Impact Award,” said Valeisha Butterfield Jones, Co-President of the Recording Academy. “John is one of the most important artists of our time, someone who leads by example and pushes important boundaries consistently across music, philanthropy and activism. His contributions and impact to music and our culture are unparalleled.”
“On behalf of the Black Music Collective, we are honored to bring together some of the most influential creatives of our time to celebrate John Legend ahead of Music’s Biggest Night,” said Riggs Morales, Chair of the Black Music Collective. “This event is a reflection of our continued work as we strive to celebrate the greatest and brightest in Black music who transcend beyond race and genre.”
As a 12-time GRAMMY-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and philanthropist, John Legend began his musical career behind the scenes over 20 years ago working with artists such as Lauryn Hill, JAY-Z and Alicia Keys. He then signed to Kanye West’s GOOD Music and released his debut album Get Lifted, which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 Charts and was certified double platinum by the RIAA.
Legend made history as the first Black man to win the coveted EGOT (Emmy, GRAMMY, Oscar, and Tony Award). Throughout his career, he has collaborated with a multitude of artists including Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Rick Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Juanes, Sebastián Yatra, Chance the Rapper, Common, André 3000, The Roots, Tony Bennett, Jhené Aiko, Estelle, Esperanza Spalding, and Ariana Grande.
Not only is he a beloved music creator to his peers, he is also a philanthropist who performed at many benefit concerts to raise awareness of social issues, and in 2014 founded the FREEAMERICA campaign, which aims to help end mass incarceration in the United States. Legend is currently a part of the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees and is an Honorary Chair of the Black Music Collective.
