Big Sean and Usher are joining forces on a major new investment aimed at expanding creative opportunities for young people in Detroit. The artists have committed $1 million to establish the Detroit Entertainment Innovation Incubator, a new program that will operate inside the Michigan Central Boys & Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan.
Set to debut in February 2026, the incubator will offer a virtual production studio, a special-effects lab, a creators’ lounge and additional hands-on spaces designed to expose local youth to fields such as filmmaking, AI, digital production, special effects, and music creation. The project is backed by Usher’s New Look Foundation and Big Sean’s Sean Anderson Foundation, in partnership with Ilitch Sports + Entertainment and Emory University’s Goizueta Business School.
Both artists, who grew up with Boys & Girls Clubs, say the project is about expanding possibilities for future innovators—giving Detroit’s youth not just encouragement, but a state-of-the-art environment to explore their talents and develop the skills needed for emerging creative industries.
Usher emphasized the power of early support and access, saying, “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.”
For Big Sean, the initiative reflects a desire to build the kind of homegrown infrastructure he wished existed when he was coming up. He reflected on how Detroit shaped him creatively, saying, “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.” Sean went on to add that the new incubator aims to show young people that opportunity can flourish locally: “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.”
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