Victoria Monét made an appearance at the Black Music Action Coalition Music Maker Dinner hosted by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and used her platform to call out gatekeeping and nepotism in the music industry.
“The music industry exercises both extensively, but I feel like instead of asking, ‘how do we eliminate gatekeeping and nepotism’ – because realistically power structures will always exist – I would want to ask, ‘how do we use them responsibly?"” Victoria began, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Gatekeeping is not necessarily negative. Nepotism is not inherently negative either. It depends on who and how they’re used. They become harmful when they’re exercised selfishly or to preserve comfort.”
Victoria then called on people in the industry to intentionally use their “positions of influence” and become a bridge to those who are “talented, aligned, hardworking, and deserving.”
“The goal is ethical gatekeeping and purpose-driven nepotism,” she said. “That is mentorship and action, and BMAC is a perfect conduit to exercise this type of Black excellence.”
“One of the most powerful things we can do in this industry is to remember that we didn’t get here alone. … And the legacy we leave will not be defined solely on our accolades, our streams, or our credits, but by who we helped rise alongside us,” Victoria continued. “Let the frequency of music resonate.”
The BMAC Music Maker Dinner featured performances by Adam Blackstone and Friends, including Gabby Samone, Jon Batiste, Queen Naija, Eric Bellinger, Tina Campbell, Elmiene, Jamal Roberts and Estelle.
It closed a three-night run of BMAC events, which also included a panel discussing Cardi B‘s transparency and relationship with her fans, as well as two panels examining AI’s effect on the music industry and the importance of collective empowerment for artists.
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