Grammy-nominated rapper Lil Durk gas linked up with Howard University and Amazon Music to launch his . Funded through the rapper’s non-profit “Neighborhood Heroes Foundation”, the scholarship awarded two Howard students from Chicago with $50,000 checks toward their freshman tuition.
In an interview with Billboard, the rapper said having this scholarship is comparable to having a Grammy.
“It’s stuff we never got a chance to do or somebody never did for us. A lot of people don’t do it as far as the music era that we’re in,” says the rapper commonly known as Durkio. “In my age range, it’s more toward, ‘Let’s go feed them turkeys, let’s go feed them meals.’ My team came together where we turned it up a notch. I wanted to come up with something that was different and impactful.”
Lil Durk continues the conversation by saying that he wants to change the narrative; therefore creating the scholarship was the obvious option for him.
The scholarship was a small piece of the puzzle. The rapper donated $250,000 to provide financial assistance to students from Chicago who are eligible for Howard’s Graduation Retention Access to Continued Excellence (GRACE) Grant; keeping them on track to graduate. But wait there’s more.
Lil Durk cashed out $100,000 for 20 high school students for an all-expenses paid visit to Howard University. Each student was partnered with a Bison mentor and had the chance to stay on campus.
Lil Durk continues to make heavy strides within his career and ensures that he tries to breathe life back into his community. The old saying says “Charity starts at home and spreads aboard,” the rapper is using his success to amplify the meaning.