7 HBCU Students Win The Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective and Amazon Music Scholarship

The Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective (BMC) and Amazon Music recently selected the recipients of the third annual Your Time Is Now scholarship, an award that aims to help HBCU students learn about various facets of the music industry and promote an inclusive environment for Black creators to thrive.

This year’s HBCU student recipients are Joseph Michael Abiakam (Norfolk State University), Langston Jackson (Hampton University), Kennedi Amari Johnson (Clark Atlanta University), Courtney Roberts (Texas Southern University), and Caleb Wilkerson (Florida A&M University), a press release read.

The Your Time Is Now scholarship grants selected students $10,000 for the school year as well as membership to an immersive rotation program with the Amazon Music and Recording Academy department leads. This rotation program allows students an in-depth look into what the music industry entails.

Spanning across different areas of focus including music marketing and music production, scholarship recipients from five different schools are composed of graduate and undergraduate students.

The BMC and Amazon Music will also offer two HBCUs a $10,000 grant for new music equipment, an award that will be announced later this summer, Billboard reported.

This year, Amazon Music, The Same House, and the Recording Academy are collaborating to host the “Your Future Is Now” business development seminar for select members of the 2023 graduating class of Morris Brown College. On June 17, the half-day program will offer expertise in music business, publishing, and production. Recording Academy Atlanta Chapter President Justin Henderson and Frankie Yaptinchay of Amazon Music will both make appearances. Students will also be gifted a suite experience and networking opportunity with representatives from the Recording Academy and Amazon Music and music industry executives.

A fantastic opportunity for HBCU students hoping to break into the music industry, this scholarship and immersion program offers young Black creators a chance to break the mold.