Queen Latifah, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes & Jermaine Dupri Named 2023 Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame Honorees

Queen Latifah, Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes and Jermaine Dupri are among the 2023 Black Music Month Class of inductees for the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF). The joint announcement was made by the Black American Music Association (BAMAssoc) and the Georgia Entertainment Caucus (GEC). The annual induction ceremony will take place in Atlanta on Oct. 26.

The 2023 class of inductees also includes Magic Johnson, Dallas Austin, Marvin Sapp and Mahalia Jackson. All of the honorees will be saluted with Crown Jewel of Excellence emblems that will be installed on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in front of the Mercedes Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta.

Founders of the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame include Demmette Guidry (BAMAssoc), Erica Thomas (GEC), Michael Mauldin (BAMAssoc) and Catherine Brewton (GEC). In a statement announcing the 2023 honorees, Brewton said, “This year’s inductees embody Black excellence and individually have bodies of work that will remain impactful for generations to come.”

The BMEWOF’s 2023 class of inductees joins an estimable group of prior honorees. On the music front, those include Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, James Brown, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Patti LaBelle, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Missy Elliott, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Run-D.M.C., Snoop Dogg and OutKast. 

The Black American Music Association was founded in 2017 as a membership trade organization for music industry professionals, creators, scholars, music industry stakeholders and communities at large. It’s dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting the legacy and the future of Black music.