The well-known rapper Rakim may finally receive the recognition and compensation he deserves, more than three decades after his famous album “Paid in Full” was released with Eric B. The Paid In Full Foundation has decided to honor him with a large grant at their upcoming event, the Hip Hop Grandmaster Awards, in collaboration with Nas and a venture capital firm co-founder. At the ceremony, Rakim and Scarface will be honored as this year’s chosen inaugural recipients for their great musical contributions to the culture. This is not the first time that the grant’s co-founder, Ben Horowitz, is involved with the hip hop industry.
He previously invested in the site Genius, then known as Rap Genius and has been friends with Nas for years. The news was shared by Steve Stoute on the recent episode of the Rap Radar podcast. Moreover, the event is not only meant for the recognition of artists but also to grant significant money, half a million dollars, and healthcare to those who have contributed to the culture but have not obtained the financial rewards they deserve.
The Paid in Full Foundation is on a mission to give well-deserved credit and support to the original Hip Hop artists who have made a lasting impact on arts and culture. The foundation understands that many of these artists never received the recognition they deserved for their extraordinary contributions. To change that, they have launched a grantmaking program that aims to both honor the pioneers of Hip Hop and empower them to continue pursuing their creative and intellectual endeavors for the betterment of society. The foundation’s website provides further information on this effort. By uniting and uplifting these legendary artists, the Paid in Full Foundation strives to give them the respect and acknowledgement they have earned, while also allowing them to continue to innovate and inspire future generations.
Rakim took to social media to express his gratitude to a few people, including Nas, Stoute, and Ben and Felicia Horowitz. But that’s not all. He also gave thanks to the legendary Quincy Jones, QD3, Fab 5 Freddy, Shaka Senghor, Divine, and more. It’s truly heartwarming to see people come together and support each other.
Although Stoute hinted at a $500,000 contribution to support the health care of MCs, he did not provide any concrete information on how that amount would be divided. Would it be for each MC, would it be split between them, or distributed over a period of years to various grant recipients? Only time will tell. In any case, the gesture shows a promising outlook towards addressing issues facing artists’ healthcare.
Views: 128
