FACEBOOK WATCH PREMIERING BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL "FORWARD: THE FUTURE OF BLACK MUSIC" FEATURING CHANCE THE RAPPER, ERYKAH BADU, JOHN LEGEND, YARA SHAHIDI ON FEBRUARY 16

· In celebration of Black History Month, Facebook Watch is announcing its new special "Forward: The Future of Black Music," produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, featuring Chance the Rapper, Erykah Badu, John Legend, Yara Shahidi, and more, premiering Tuesday, February 16 at 9am PT / 12pm ET on Facebook Watch and also available on Messenger's Watch Together.

· The four-episode, short-form special celebrating Black Excellence will drop every Tuesday and Friday on the Facebook Watch page starting February 16.

· Cameras will follow the artists into their most sacred spaces to have unfiltered conversations between an icon and an emerging artist that will revolve around their influences and visions for the future.

· "Forward: The Future of Black Music" will feature Yara Shahidi ft. Neelam (Feb. 16), John Legend ft. D Smoke (Feb. 19), Erykah Badu ft. Tobe Nwigwe (Feb. 23), and Chance the Rapper ft. his brother Taylor Bennett (Feb. 26).

· Influenced by the classic TV series "Iconoclasts," viewers will be a fly on the wall for a musical experience with a legend and their successor. The show will culminate with an incredible musical performance by the artist on the rise, further proving why they are the future.

· Black History Month at Facebook: This Black History Month, Facebook is celebrating the Black community as people make their voices heard, raise awareness and inspire action across the Facebook app, Instagram and Messenger. We are also sharing an update on the commitments we made in June, including $200 million to support Black-owned businesses and organizations as part of a broader $1.1 billion investment in Black and diverse suppliers and communities in the US. As part of this, Facebook dedicated $25 million in support of Black content creators. Black creators and community leaders are making their mark on the world and using our apps to share their stories - from pushing culture forward on Instagram to turning Facebook movements into lasting legacies. This investment in content creators turned into We The Culture. Created by a passionate team of Black employees at Facebook, We The Culture elevates Black creators to share their vision with the world, spark community, and empower them to build successful, entertaining and sustainable networks across our apps.

"FORWARD: THE FUTURE OF BLACK MUSIC" ASSETS

· Tune-in: "Forward: The Future of Black Music" premieres February 16 at 9am PT / 12pm ET on Facebook Watch, and you can also watch with your friends on Messenger's Watch Together.

· Production Credits: "Forward: The Future of Black Music" is produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Tiffany Mills serve as executive producers.

· Show Logo: HERE

· Official Hashtags: #FutureofBlackMusic, #BlackHistoryMonth

About Facebook Watch

Facebook Watch is the global destination where content, community and conversation come together on Facebook. Home to a wide range of video from Facebook Watch Originals like the award-winning Red Table Talk, to gaming, sports, music, news and live content from creators and publishers, Facebook Watch is a personalized viewing experience where you can easily discover videos based on your interests. Facebook Watch is available for free on mobile apps across Apple and Android, on desktop, laptop, all Portal devices and on TV apps listed HERE.

About Jesse Collins Entertainment

Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company and has played an integral role in producing many of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment. JCE has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the theatrical film side, the company also has a first look on JCE's film development projects which could include Viacom's film entities such as Paramount Players. The award-winning and critically acclaimed television that JCE has produced includes miniseries - The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story; scripted series - American Soul and Real Husbands of Hollywood; children's series - Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices; award shows - BET Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF's An Evening of Stars, BET Hip Hop Awards, ABFF Honors and Soul Train Awards; specials - John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Farewell, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales I Be Knowin', Def Comedy Jam 25 and Leslie Jones: Time Machine; as well as competition/game shows - Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares, Nashville Squares and Rhythm & Flow. Jesse Collins, founder & CEO of the company, is the executive producer of all programming. He is also a co-executive producer for the iconic Grammy Awards and executive produced The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show in February 2021. He will next executive produce The 93rd Annual Academy Awards in April 2021. Go to jessecollinsent.com for more information on the company.