Your favorite rapper from the D, and your favorite R&B singer from the A are closing out the year with an iconic collab, and no, it’s not to create music.
In the season of giving, USHER and Big Sean have announced a major $1 million investment in Detroit’s creative future with the launch of the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator. The program will live inside the new Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan, offering young people between ages 14 and 24 access to a virtual production studio, special effects lab, creators lounge, and cutting-edge training in entertainment and technology.
Both artists came up through Boys and Girls Clubs and they want Detroit kids to have options they never did. And at its heart, the incubator is allowing Detroit teens and young adults that they can build a future in the creative economy without leaving the city they love (and we love that for them!).
USHER, who founded the nonprofit Usher’s New Look, emphasized his commitment to opening doors for the next generation. “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. 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,” he said in a statement shared with ESSENCE.
For Big Sean, the incubator is a homecoming of sorts. The Detroit native has been a steady presence at Michigan Central since Ford purchased The Station in 2018, and he has stayed closely involved in the area’s revitalization. Through his Sean Anderson Foundation, he’s already established four Big Sean Studios across Boys & Girls Club locations, giving over 10,000 young people hands-on experience in music production, recording, DJing, and drumline.
“Detroit is where my creativity was born. 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,” said Big Sean. “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.”
The program will help students build real skills in film, TV, music production, AI, 3D design, immersive tech and special effects. Students can also earn industry recognized credentials through partners like Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and Ilitch Sports + Entertainment.
“Detroit has always been the blueprint for innovation, from the assembly line to Motown. This collaboration—especially with two heavy hitter alumni—extends that legacy by proving the creative economy can be a pathway to ownership and equity,” said Shawn H. Wilson, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan. “Together, with our amazing partners, we’re transforming talent into capital and creativity into generational wealth.”
The new 13,000 square foot Michigan Central Boys and Girls Club will also house an autonomous training center and an innovation lab that introduces young people to fast-growing fields like mobility, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for February 2026.