Jimmy Jam’s Next Chapter: Films, Live Music & Giving Back

Legendary producer Jimmy Jam has spent decades shaping the sound of modern music. As one half of music’s preeminent producing duo Jam & Lewis, his fingerprints are on records by Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, New Edition, Boyz II Men, Usher, Babyface, and countless others. Entire eras of R&B and pop were built from that foundation.

Now, as he looks ahead to 2026, Jam isn’t slowing down or looking backward. He’s focused on preservation, storytelling, and making sure the culture understands where the music truly comes from.

“The next verse for us in 2026 is two things really heavily,” Jam said. “One is we’re very much in the documentary space.”

That documentary push is well underway. A Jam & Lewis documentary is currently in production, offering an inside look at one of the most influential creative partnerships in music history. At the same time, Jam and Terry Lewis have just executive produced a documentary on Curtis Mayfield, a project that is already generating serious buzz.

“We just got done executive producing a documentary on Curtis Mayfield,” Jam shared. “Even though it’s not out, the critics that have seen it have already deemed it one of the best documentaries of 2025. Wow. H.E.R is the director on it. So it’s a musician talking about a musician. 

The film connects generations in a meaningful way, he told Radio One. “Curtis was a strong influence on her and she wanted people to know about him.” 

That same sense of responsibility to the past is driving Jam & Lewis’ first directorial project, a documentary centered on Gamble, Huff, and Thom Bell, the architects of the Philadelphia soul sound.

“There’s no Jam and Lewis without Gamble and Huff,” Jam said.

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Music You Don’t Just Hear, You Understand

While the documentary work points toward the future, Jam remains deeply connected to the live experience. At City Winery NYC, he recently returned for Late Development presents Jimmy Jam: Jamz & Conversation – Part Two, an intimate evening blending storytelling, live piano, and shared memory.

The concept, developed alongside Elijah Wells of Late Development, was designed to do more than entertain.

“I like to call it two things,” Jam said. “One is an informed listening experience… even though you’ve heard these songs a million times, when you hear it after this, you’ll listen to it in a different way because you’ll know how it was put together.”

The second layer is about connection.

“It’s a shared listening experience,” he said. “When that song comes on, you look across the table… or it could be someone you don’t even know, but you find that you have that music in common.”

Late Development, an entertainment and marketing company known for crafting culture-forward events and creative collaborations, helped create a space where those moments could unfold naturally. The demand has been strong, and Jam says taking the show on the road is very much on the table.

“We’ll see what the audience wants and we’ll try to figure it out,” he said.

Turning Music Into Action

For Jimmy Jam, music has always been about more than charts and accolades. That belief is at the heart of Someday Has Begun, a global initiative using music to fight hunger.

The project is tied to the Tony Robbins Foundation’s 100 Billion Meals campaign and is designed to be interactive rather than passive. Instead of a single finished record, Jam wanted a living piece of music people could take part in.

“Nowadays, people want to be involved,” he said. “So we decided to make a song… that becomes a living, breathing thing that people are involved with.”

The initiative also includes The Next Verse, a collective of creators committed to using music for social impact.

“I call music the divine art,” Jam said.

The reach is both global and local. “We want to make sure that Gaza is fed and places around the world,” he said, “but we also want to make sure that the local food shelves and the communities are in good shape.”

Bringing the Catalog to the Stage

Another long-awaited chapter is finally arriving: Jam & Lewis performing their catalog live.

“We’ve never really gone and played our catalog of music live,” Jam said. “So we want to go and do that.”

After successful performances in Japan and Atlanta, 2026 is shaping up to be the year audiences hear those timeless songs in a new way. 

“Our anchor artists are two powerhouse vocalists: Ruben Studdard and Shaunice Wilson,” Jam reveals, noting Studdard’s ability to handle everything from Usher to Alexander O’Neal.  “Shaunice just shines.  She can handle all the females, she’s particularly great doing Janet. And Janet is the toughest one to do.” 

“It’ll be that memory bank,” Jam said, “where you’ll hear these songs and sing along with them and have some fun.”

Despite his tremendous influence, Jam remains grounded. His favorite indulgence is simple and very human.

“My bad habit is a grande mocha Frappuccino in a venti cup, double blended, extra whipped cream.  I’m Starbucks every day. That’s my vice,” he discloses.  But at least I walk there.  Its about a mile from our house.  So I balance it with a walk.”

“I should get a sponsorship out of this,” he laughs.

OK Starbucks? Wasssup?!

Celebrating the Architects of Culture

In addition to working with Jimmy Jam, Late Development’s commitment to honoring the culture continues with Ralph McDaniels, the pioneering creator and host of Video Music Box, whose platform helped introduce hip-hop to a national audience and document its earliest stars.

On February 26, Late Development will pay tribute to McDaniels for his birthday with Ralph McDaniels and Friends at Brooklyn Bowl, featuring EPMD, DJ Chuck Chillout, Strafe, Roxanne Shanté, and more, a gathering that reflects the living history Jam is working so hard to preserve.

As for Jimmy Jam, every project connects back to the same idea: honoring the past, engaging the present, and opening doors for the future.

As he puts it simply, the work is no longer about someday.

“Someday has begun.”

Check out the full conversation below:

Article by Jazmyn Summers.  You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz .  Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.