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Prince Williams / Contributor and Jerritt Clark / Contributor via Getty Images
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Usher attends Usher’s Official Concert After Party on Oct. 18, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia, and Big Sean attends THE CAMP presented by N3on And Hit Boy at Fab Factory on Oct. 13, 2025, in North Hollywood, California.
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Key Takeaways:
- The incubator will include a virtual production studio, a special effects lab and mentorship programs.
- The space opens in February 2026 and aims to support youth in music, film, AI and tech.
- The initiative is part of a broader trend of Black artists reinvesting in their hometowns and local communities.
Big Sean and Usher are partnering to invest in Detroit’s youth. The rapper and R&B crooner have teamed up to invest into a local Boys & Girls Club with ambitious plans.
On Thursday (Dec. 4), Sean and the “Caught Up” singer announced that they had linked up to create the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator. Usher’s New Look Foundation teamed with the “Blessed” rapper’s Sean Anderson Foundation before connecting with Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School for the collaboration.
One of their first endeavors is a $1 million investment to create the incubator, which will reside in the Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan. The facility, which will feature a virtual production studio, special effects lab, creators’ lounge and more, is scheduled to open in February 2026. The goal is to provide mentorship while guiding and instructing youth in a myriad of industries, including film, AI, special effects and music production, among others.
“I’ve always been a true believer in igniting a spark in the next generation to be better and have access to things we didn’t,” Usher said in a press statement. “This new spark lab in Detroit with my friend and fellow Boys & Girls Club alum Big Sean will not only minimize the access gap for the youth but also prepare them for greatness. It takes just one person to believe in your success, and I’m honored to be one of many in this partnership to help make that happen.”
Both Usher and Big Sean are Boys & Girls Club alums. Being a local is particularly important to the latter. “Detroit is where my creativity was born,” Big Sean said in a press statement. “From freestyling in my mom’s basement to performing on the biggest stages in the world. My mission has always been to make sure the next generation of dreamers and innovators from my city have the access, tools and mentorship to do the same. The Innovation Incubator is about showing young people that they don’t have to leave Detroit to chase opportunity; they can build it right here.”
It’s a beautiful thing to see megastars giving back to the D.