6 hip-hop stars inspiring us to give back this Christmas

16 December 2021, 06:00

Promoted by giffgaff

Your favourite musicians have been giving back to their communities.

With great power comes great responsibility, so its only right that some of our favourite hip-hop stars have been putting their eye-watering earnings back into their communities.

From Stormzy and Jay-Z to Rihanna and Saweetie, these thoughtful celebs have been donating and even starting their own charities in order to help those in need.

1. Stormzy

   

   Croydon hitmaker Stormzy founded his registered charity, the #Merky Foundation, in 2019, with the aim of fighting racial inequality and providing equal opportunities.

   A year later, the rapper donated £500,000 through the charity to help young people from underprivileged backgrounds through college or university.

2. Rihanna

   

   Billionaire musician-turned-businesswoman Rihanna founded her non-profit organisation, The Clara Lionel Foundation, in 2012.

   Named after her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite, the foundation aims to improve the quality of life for communities around the world, focusing on education, health and emergency preparedness.

   The foundation supported relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and donated $5 million toward COVID-19 response efforts.

3. Drake

   

   In 2018, Canadian superstar Drake donated the entire $1 million budget of his hit music video 'God's Plan' to charity.

   Drizzy donated $25,000 to the Miami Senior High School, gifted $50,000 to University of Miami student Destiny Paris James, donated $50,000 to a homeless shelter and gave out $150 Target gift cards for families to shop with.

   Drake even stopped by Sabor Tropical Supermarket in Miami and announced that he was paying for all of the customers’ groceries.

4. Beyoncé

   

   Beyoncé launched her philanthropic project, BeyGOOD, in 2013.

   Through the initiative, the singer has raised money for people in need and victims of natural disasters, as well as donating $500,000 to those in danger of losing their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

   Bey also donated a staggering $6 million to provide mental health support to essential workers during this time.

5. Saweetie

   

   In the summer of 2020, Saweetie teamed up with PrettyLittleThing to donate all of the proceeds from their collaboration to Black Lives Matter. Yep, that's right - 100%.

   The rapper later founded a non-profit organisation, the Icy Baby Foundation, with her grandmother, with the aim of supporting Asian And Black communities.

6. Jay-Z

   

   Jay-Z founded the Shawn Carter Foundation back in 2003, a non-profit organisation with the aim of providing scholarships for disadvantaged youth and communities.

   So far, the fund has paid out almost $3 million in scholarship funds and education opportunities. The rapper also campaigns for criminal justice reform.

Together with giffgaff, we’re encouraging you to give back this Christmas, from thoughtful gifts for your friends and family, to recycling your old phones which is better for the planet! Find out more here