As the co-founder of the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame, Catherine Brewton is leading the charge for celebrating some of the biggest music and entertainment names in the business. With her experience in the industry, Brewton has a niche for finding talent, and now she’s giving stars such as Lil Wayne, Queen Latifah, Magic Johnson, and Jermaine Dupri their flowers with the Walk of Fame, slated to take place on Oct. 26 in Atlanta.
Brewton spoke with rolling out about the BMEWOF, her time in the music business, and what 50 years of hip-hop means to the Walk of Fame.
How did you formulate the idea to start the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame?
Myself and former ]Georgia] state Representative Erica Thomas formulated the Georgia Entertainment Caucus to take on this endeavor to do a Georgia Walk of Fame. There was some conversation about a museum and we said “no” because it would take 100 years to do one. I was also serving on the board of the Black American Music Association with Mike Mauldin, and they were looking at a similar endeavor.
The two organizations came together and that birthed the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame. I think what we began to realize is that we were losing a lot of Black legacy people, not just artists and athletes, but Black people of all diasporas.
Our mission was to help preserve and acknowledge Black culture and leaders of all walks of life. In 2001, when the country shut down, we said, “Hey, everybody’s home, let’s try to get this approved.” We went to the Mercedes Benz dome and the Georgia World Congress Center which is where the sidewalk will reside, and within days they approved the Walk of Fame.
What has 50 years of hip-hop done for the Walk of Fame and how does it feel being able to honor Lil Wayne?
I’ve known Lil Wayne since he was 12. I remember the first time encountering Wayne in New Orleans, when the Hot Boys was around, and I was just like, “Who is this kid? He should be home and he’s reading a book and rapping”. He’s like, “I’m going to be the greatest rapper of all time,” and I’m like “Go to bed, kid.” Now you have this freaking icon. People ask … is it [too]early for him to get the Icon Award. Yes, he’s only 40, but it’s not too early because who has had the impact that Wayne had? It’s been fun to see these iterations of hip-hop. I think we’re in a weird place in some respects now, but hip-hop is always going to be the foundation of the culture.
I was reading and somebody sent me a notice that Pharrell is opening the Billionaire Boys Club in Atlanta. What that says about Atlanta is we’re still culture and the epicenter of where people want to be to launch and learn, and just to be crazy, sexy, and cool.
