Ja Rule has kept his promise to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The Grammy-award-winning artist launched The Painted House alongside business partner Herb Rice in collaboration with the non-fungible token (NFT) launchpad platform — House of First — late spring.
The partnership birthed the Black is Beautiful, an NFT collection featuring 1,000 total items that display Black joy and the everyday challenges of Being Black in America, as per the marketplace. Collaborators on the project also include illustrator Nick Davis, Deion Sanders, Ashanti, Tanya Sam, and Bam Adebayo, among others.
“It’s basically telling the story of Black America,” Rule said, according to Bloomberg. “From our joy to our pain.”
$50K Raised For Five HBCUs Including Howard, Spelman, and Morgan State
According to a press release sent to AfroTech, the sold-out collection raised $25,000 in sales. A portion of the collection’s proceeds will be donated to Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Hampton University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College, as AfroTech previously mentioned. In addition, Ja Rule’s ICONN Media matched the donation, which means $50,000 will be split evenly among HBCU partners.
The contributions honor a collective mission held by The Painted House to ensure people of color will have access to quality education and knowledge to inspire the next generation.
“It’s important that our Black children are proud to go to HBCUs,” Rule told Bloomberg.
Ja Rule Hopes To Keep Momentum To Support HBCUs Going
The chosen schools resonate deeply with Rule and participating members under The Painted House. In fact, Rule’s daughter is a proud alumna of Hampton University, Sanders leads Jackson State University’s football team, and TV personality and entrepreneur, Tanya Sam, attended Spelman.
“Those were the schools that were on our radar for [those] reasons,” Rule told Bloomberg. “This is just the spark—we’re starting it. I pray that others will get onboard with this movement.”
