2 Chainz made the holiday season bright when he sold his dabbing Santa sweaters and used the $2 million profit to give back to families in need.
He’s not stopping there as he joined former players Kenny “The Jet” Smith and Ronnie Fields at “Four Corners,” an event with the Full Court reFRESH initiative that donated $40,000 to renovate basketball courts in Chicago.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, 2 Chainz sat with the basketball players and other culture influencers yesterday (June 1) at Columbus Park in Chicago to discuss the need for recreation in urban communities.
AD LOADING...
“What we’re doing is providing an important resource for the younger generation. A lot of the kids don’t have anything to do with their time right now,” the Atlanta rapper says. “A lot of them look up to athletes or entertainers, so when you do these things, build a studio or refurbish a basketball court, it helps change the trajectory in our neighborhoods, along with seeing somebody like myself, speak to what’s happening in the streets.”
Violence in Chicago has been a talking point for many from the city, including Common and Chance The Rapper. Spike Lee made the controversial movie Chiraq last year to satirize the violence in the community.
Hollywood aside, at the reFRESH panel, Hoop magazine writer Bryan Crawford describes why kids are tempted by the streets in his hometown.
AD LOADING...
“A lot of this violence has to do with just the fact that kids in our community, they have nowhere to go,” the Chicago native says. “They have no positive structure, nothing to get involved in. Some of these parks today, they barely have rims. If you don’t give these kids an outlet, what’s left for them to do aside from running the streets and getting into trouble?”
View photos from the “Four Corners” event with 2 Chainz, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, Ronnie Fields and Bryan Crawford below:
AD LOADING...
