Mondaii received the 2023 Music Maker Grant from (l-r) BMAC CEO & President Prophet and
Terry Lewis & Jimmy Jam. He unfortunately left his shades in the car.

The Black Music Action Coalition has launched the second annual BMAC x Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Music Maker Grant.

The award provides grant money, studio time and mentorship from BMAC board and executive leadership council members as well as Jam and Lewis. Applications, available through 11/30, are open to emerging Black music producers and songwriters from across the U.S. BMAC and Jam & Lewis will announce the 2024 Music Maker Grant and present the honor to the awardee in December at a special event hosted by ASCAP.

Said BMAC CEO & President Willie “Prophet” Stiggers: “Black Music Action Coalition is committed to ensuring the next generation of leaders in our industry are equipped with the knowledge, resources and access that our community deserves and does not always receive. We see the impact made when we truly invest in our future. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are two of the greatest producers, songwriters and human beings in this industry, so having them as mentors to a young person is invaluable. When you add the network that the BMAC board & our Executive Leadership Council and ASCAP will provide, this is really an incredible opportunity.”

BMAC, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis chose emerging artist-songwriter Mondaii as the 2023 grant recipient. Mondaii said he used the grant to fund mixing for his single “Back N Forth,” pay for a promotional photo shoot and allocate a budget of $2,000 toward a PR campaign. “The whole experience was truly life changing,” he says. “Prophet, Parlay (of the Hip-Hop Global Reach Foundation) and none other than the legendary Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis all provided ongoing mentorship. I called on Prophet and Parlay for everything, and they really have been an instrumental part of my learning the music business."