Reggae/Dancehall superstar Stonebwoy has performed at the iconic Hitsville USA, nicknamed Motown Museum.

Hitsville USA, Detroit, Michigan, is the birthplace of the Motown record label which dominated the music scene especially in the 60s and 70s. The real estate was bought by Motown founder Berry Gordy, and was used as the first headquarters and recording studio of the record label.

On Monday, August 21, 2023, Stonebwoy mounted the stage at a private event organised by Afro Nation US as the festival brand entertained its staff and VVIP guests.

In the audience were Afro Nation founders Smade and Obi Asika, founder of Motown Museum Esther Gordy-Edwards, industry bigwigs and a US-based Ghanaian billionaire Kofi S. Bonner.

The CEO of Bedrock Detroit, Bonner's legacy is building remarkable urban centers through transformational development and community collaborations. He is famed for being the affordable housing developer for Oakland Community Housing Inc. and the redevelopment director for the City of Emeryville. 

The event held at the Bedrock's Douglass site, was an after party following the debut of Afro Nation Detroit 2023 the weekend before. The music festival had staged stars like Detroit's Dej Loaf, Ari Lennox, Davido, Burna Boy, and others.

Stonebwoy could not join them.

He apologised to his "beloved fans" that he was unable to perform because "the new set time possed challenges that impacted my ability to give you the performance you deserve..."

Read the entire statement posted on Twitter (X) below:

Afro Nation, the world's largest Afrobeats festival brand, made a donation to the Motown Museum.

The CEO of Event Horizon, producers of Afro Nation, Natasha Manly noted the entire team was “very proud to be making a charitable donation of $100,000 dollars to the Motown Museum, an institution that stands as a pillar of culture in the city of Detroit and the world”.

The Motown Museum is undergoing a massive $55 million expansion, transforming the property into a 50,000-square-foot world-class tourist site which boasts new educational facilities and a performance theatre.

The four-year-old Afro Nation also gave oout 3,000 festival tickets to first responsers and non-profit organisations.

On their part, Mayor Mike Duggan's office and the City of Detroit presented Afro Nation with a Certificate of Recognition as well as a Spirit of Detroit award, which honours a person, event, or organisation for an “outstanding achievement or service to the citizens of Detroit”.

Motown stars include Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Erykah Badu, Brandy, Lil Baby, etc.

Meanwhile, Stonebwoy is currently in Canada on his 5th Dimension Tour in North America.