Rapper Jack Harlow to donate $500,000 to two Kentucky historically Black colleges
Louisville rapper Jack Harlow plans to donate $500,000 to two Kentucky historically Black colleges.
Harlow announced Saturday that he would donate the money to Kentucky State University in Frankfort and Louisville’s Simmons College. The money is part of winnings Harlow earned in a two-on-two basketball game put on by Bleacher Report during the run up to the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
Harlow and teammate Quavo — a member of the Migos trio — defeated Georgia rappers 2 Chainz and Lil Baby 21-7. The winning team got a $1 million prize with $500,000 of which going to the team’s preferred Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The 22-year-old rapper was born in Louisville and grew up in the Highlands neighborhood, Harlow told Billboard in 2018. Harlow’s “Whats Poppin” — which reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 last summer — is nominated for a Grammy in Best Rap Performance. He’ll also appear on Saturday Night Live on March 27.
KSU President Christopher Brown said he was “pleasantly surprised” to find out about the donation over the weekend. Brown said he appreciated the gift and Harlow’s music — which Brown said he listens regularly too.. He said he’s particularly enjoyed “Whats Poppin” and “Tyler Herro” — a song with an overt reference to the Bluegrass state and one of its recent basketball heroes.
Brown said he’s yet to see a report that might show the gift’s intentions, which may in turn affect how the university might spend the money. Typically this kind of donation may go into the school’s general or unrestricted funding which Brown said usually goes to student scholarships and professional development.
“Investing in Simmons is an important initiative and for Jack Harlow to do this — we never know the impact that one solitary gift may have not only on this generation but future generations,” Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby, the Simmons College president, told WHAS 11. Cosby said the donation will go directly to students through tuition assistance and other resources, the station reported.
The NBA All-Star weekend was dedicated in many ways to raising money for HBCUs. Over the course of the weekend the league generated about $3 million in donations, CNN reported. Former President Donald Trump focusing on HBCUs in the CARES Act and the ascendance of Kamala Harris — a Howard University alumna — to the vice presidency have given HBCUs more attention nationally as well, Brown said. He’s hoping Harlow’s donation will drum up similar conversations in the Commonwealth.
“One of my great hopes is that the Jack Harlow gift in the Commonwealth will remind business and industry, who operating here every day — often with the resource investments of the African American community — of their ability to invest and a more sustainable workforce for the Commonwealth,” Brown said.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 12:47 PM.