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Posts tagged as “Big Sean”

J. Cole’s Dreamville Foundation Raising Funds to Aid Hurricane Victims in Hometown of Fayetteville, NC

By goodblacknews on September 22, 2018
J. Cole (photo via billboard.com)

by Melanie Eversley via thegrio.com

Rapper/singer J. Cole is raising funds through his Dreamville Foundation to help people from his hometown of Fayetteville, N.C., who have been affected by Hurricane Florence.

“The Dreamville Foundation is looking to lend a helping hand to the community, children, and families affected by Hurricane Florence,” the nonprofit which is based in Fayetteville, N.C., said on its webpage. “There will be hot food stations placed throughout the city, temporary housing options for families and stocking of food pantries/shelters (as) well as supporting other local nonprofits who help provide services for the people in Fayetteville.”

According to CBS News at least, 42 people have died as a result of Florence, which barreled through the Carolinas last week.

The goal of the 4-year-old organization is to inspire urban youth, according to the website. Cole is quoted on the homepage as saying, “I want to start the process of showing them there are other options besides what’s on the screen. They don’t have to be a rapper or an athlete, there are people who manage the rappers, who book the shows. There are so many jobs you can do, this is about expanding their minds to those possibilities.”

The hurricane forced the cancellation of J. Cole’s inaugural Dreamville Festival, which was slated to take place in Raleigh and include not only J. Cole but also Big Sean, SZA, Nelly and Young Thug. The festival has been rescheduled for April 2019, according to the Dreamville Festival Twitter account.

Cole, born Jermaine Lamarr Cole, was born on a U.S. military base in Germany but raised in Fayetteville. Along with the foundation, he is the founder of Dreamville Records, with his manager, Ibrahim Hamad.

Read more: https://thegrio.com/2018/09/22/j-cole-launches-fundraiser-florence-victims/

Rapper Big Sean Makes Hefty Donation to Aid With Ongoing Flint Water Crisis

By goodblacknews on January 25, 2017
bigseancrowdriseheader
Big Sean (image via seanandersonfoundation.org)

article by KC Orcutt via bet.com
Big Sean is wasting no time this new year, and is currently busy readying his forthcoming album, I Decided.
On top of promoting the project, the G.O.O.D. Music recording artist also made time for something else that is important to him: showing love to where he came from and giving back how he can. The Michigan native recently stopped by The Daily Show to discuss why he chose to donate money to the Flint water crisis.

During the interview, Big Sean revealed that through his foundation, he has been able to raise roughly $100,000 to help assist the people of Flint, Michigan.

“I just know it’s not even close to being over,” the rapper shares with host Trevor Noah. “In that situation, I feel like, it’s not a natural disaster. It’s something that should’ve been prevented and could’ve been prevented, so it’s just disgusting to think about the damages that these families and even kids have to go through with the lead poisoning.”
On top of the Flint water crisis being an ongoing problem since roughly April 2014, when reports first shed light on the catastrophic reality that the drinking water had been contaminated by lead, the rapper also revealed just how close to home the issue hits, explaining that his own mother had been personally affected. “It was very hard for her to deal with, but she was able, through holistic care and homeopathic remedies, was able to reverse a lot of the effects of lead poisoning,” Big Sean says.
On top of donating financially, the rapper also is giving back to the community, by way of featuring the Flint Chosen Choir in his music, incorporating the local choir on his single “Bigger Than Me.”
To read full article, go to: http://www.bet.com/music/2017/01/25/big-sean-makes-a-hefty-donation-to-the-flint-water-crisis.html

Big Sean Donates $25K to Help Alleviate Student Homelessness at Wayne State University

By goodblacknews on June 22, 2016
Big Sean (EMMA MCINTYRE VIA GETTY IMAGES)

article by Brennan Williams via huffingtonpost.com

Hip-hop artist Big Sean wants to “Change the World” by helping to alleviate student homelessness.
On behalf of his Sean Anderson Foundation, the Detroit-native has committed $25,000 to Wayne State University’s HIGH (Helping Individuals Go Higher) program to provide “short-term support” to students who struggle to meet the needs of foods, shelter and childcare, according to the school’s website.
“We see the HIGH Program as an important component of ensuring success at Wayne State, and we are proud to help strengthen its mission,” Myra Anderson, president of the Sean Anderson Foundation and Sean’s mother, said in a press release. “We aim to boost graduation rates at the university by providing support to students facing hardship.”
Founded in 2013 by Wayne State’s first lady, Jacqueline Wilson, the program aims to provide students with financial and education assistance and return participants to long-term stability. Wilson stated in the release that the foundation’s investment in the program shows “their commitment to assisting those in need.”
“With this gift, we will be able to help Wayne State students who are experiencing homelessness work toward a brighter future,” she added.
Sean’s latest benevolent act to his home state comes on the heels of his recent #HealFlintKids campaign to aid victims of Flint’s water crisis, and the foundation’s first annual “Uplifting Our Youth“ scholarship fundraiser in 2015.
For more info on Wayne State University’s HIGH program click here.

Sean "Diddy" Combs and Mark Wahlberg to Donate 1 Million Bottles of their AQUAhydrate to Flint

By goodblacknews on January 25, 2016

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Sean “Diddy” Combs and Mark Wahlberg have pledged to donate 1 million bottles of their AQUAhydrate water to the residents of Flint, Michigan, until the city’s water problems are solved. The company says it’s sending 5,000 cases initially by Wednesday, and will continue to provide bottles to residents up to 1 million, reports the Associated Press.
High levels of lead have been detected in Flint’s water since officials switched from the Detroit municipal system and began drawing from the Flint River as a cost-saving measure.
Wahlberg and Combs first invested and became the face of the Los Angeles-based bottled water company in 2013.
Big Sean, Cher, Eminem and Wiz Khalifa are among other celebrities who have pledged support and donations to assist Flint’s water crisis.
Read more at http://www.eurweb.com/2016/01/diddy-donating-1-million-bottles-of-water-to-flint-mi-residents/#5iCdD6TjdmfVDMPJ.99

Big Sean Gives $10,000 To Flint Water Crisis, Urges Others To Donate

By goodblacknews on January 21, 2016
big sean instagram
Big Sean (photo via instagram)

(AllHipHop News) Michigan native Big Sean recently donated $10,000 to aid those suffering through the Flint Water Crisis. The “Blessings” MC recently joined forces with CrowdRise to create the #HealFlintKids Fundraiser.  Sean’s altruistic action kicked off the grass-roots campaign.

In its premier press release Big Sean expressed his angst, “I am devastated by the water crisis that has put the entire city of Flint in a state of emergency. In recognizing the great work that the Community Foundation of Greater Flint Michigan has been doing, it is my hope we can help by raising the money needed to ensure that the children who have been hit the hardest receive the care that they need today and well into the future.”

Today (Jan. 21), the #HealFlintKids’ campaign started at noon. A variety of techniques are being used to persuade the public to donate. A $10 tax deductible pledge will earn someone the opportunity to win a pair of VIP tickets to an upcoming stateside show. For all the official details head over to CrowdRise.

RELATED: Cher Donates Supply of Fresh Water To Flint Residents

In addition to linking up with CrowdRise, continues to use social media as a way to employ his voice. Located only an hour away from his hometown of Detroit, the Flint Water Crisis seems to truly be resounding with the Grammy-nominated lyricist. He has shared his compassion and lifted his concern. In a recent tweet concerning Rick Snyder, governor of Michigan, attempt to shirk his responsibility, Big Sean snapped.

Below check out the tweets.

There’s nothing like activism in action; kudos go out to Big Sean!

Alicia Keys, John Legend, Pharrell and Others Perform at "Shining A Light: Concert For Progress on Race in America" Airing Tonight on A+E Networks & Several Others

By goodblacknews on November 20, 2015
John Legend at "Shining A Light" Concert
John Legend at “Shining A Light” Concert

A+E Networks and iHeartMedia are simultaneously airing “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America” on Friday, November 20 at 8PM ET/PT.  The sold-out concert was recorded at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA on Wednesday, November 18th, and the two-hour special event will air across the entire A+E Networks portfolio in more than 130 territories globally, including A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, H2, LMN and FYI, as well as on more than 130 iHeartMedia broadcast radio stations nationwide and the iHeartRadio digital platform.  Additionally, AOL has joined in the simulcast making the historic special event available to anyone with internet access across the globe on AOL.com.

Artists Aloe Blacc, Andra Day, Nick Jonas, Tom Morello, Smokey Robinson and Big Sean join the previously announced performers including Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Jamie Foxx, Rhiannon Giddens, Tori Kelly, John Legend, Miguel, Pink, Jill Scott, Ed Sheeran, Sia, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Pharrell Williams.  LL Cool J, Marshall Faulk, Morgan Freeman, George Lopez, Mario Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Kurt Warner and Nick Young are among the presenters joining the telecast.

Alicia Keys has joined John Legend and Pharrell on extraordinary journeys to Baltimore, Ferguson and Charleston, where they met with a diverse group of residents in communities at the center of the national conversation on racial inequality and violence.  Joined by NPR’s Michele Norris with John Legend in Ferguson, award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien with Pharrell Williams in Charleston and ABC News’ Byron Pitts in Baltimore, these visits included intimate discussions and special private performances by each for those most effected.  These incredibly moving, heart wrenching and eye-opening moments will be featured throughout the two-hour concert, as well as in the one-hour special, “Shining a Light: Conversations on Race in America,” airing immediately following the concert on A&E Network and AOL.com at 10pm ET/PT.

To see Alicia Keys perform Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We Will All Be Free”, watch below:
https://youtu.be/vqt2OHsAFiU
The concert will kick off A+E Networks’ campaign to confront issues of race, and promote unity and progress on racial equity, inspired by the response of the Mother Emanuel family members in Charleston and others working for reconciliation and change around the country.
The concert and the ancillary programming will help raise money for the Fund for Progress on Race in America powered by United Way Worldwide (ShiningALightConcert.com).  The fund will provide grant funding to individuals and organizations fostering understanding, eliminating bias, as well as provide support to Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church and the broader A.M.E. denomination. The fund will support efforts to address racism and bias through public policy change, individual innovation, and community mobilization.
Tickets for the concert on November 18 sold out within 3 hours of the on-sale date raising more than $150,000 to benefit the Fund for Progress on Race in America powered by The United Way Worldwide.
To see a clip of John Legend’s performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” from the event, watch below:
https://youtu.be/F4PLzIrzI6k

article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)