While I’m not particularly excited about P. Diddy’s upcoming studio album, The Love Album: Off The Grid, I am thrilled that he made a generous donation to Jackson State University, proving that he still has love and appreciation for HBCUs.
If you recall during the 2022 BET Awards, as he was accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to hip-hop, he made a promise to donate $1 million to JSU and his alma mater, Howard University.
It seems that Puff has kept that promise.
Over the weekend, during Jackson State’s first football game of the season against South Carolina State, the Bad Boy founder presented a $1 million check to the HBCU in Jackson, Miss.
In an interview, Puff said, “If it wasn’t for HBCUs I wouldn’t be here, and really just supporting HBCUs is not just my honor, it’s my responsibility. My grandmother raised me to make sure that I sow my seed in my community and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.
He continued, “So what they’re doing at Jackson State is to be commended. What they’re doing at Howard University is to be commended. All HBCUs that are under-resourced I’m here to do something about it.
Along with the donation, Diddy will invest in the school’s football program over the next several years, according to Jackson State.
But Puff was not only in Atlanta to support JSU, he was also there to headline Invest Fest, an “in-person experience to combine investing, entrepreneurship, pop culture, and entertainment in a festival setting.”
During that event, he announced another $1 million investment to help Earn Your Leisure, the founders of the festival, put the investment strategies they discuss on their platform into action.
In a statement, he said, “I’m thrilled to join forces with Earn Your Leisure. We’re going beyond discussing finances and taking action to demystify the world of investing for our community.”
Say what you want about Puff and his business practices, but he’s putting his money where his mouth is and pouring back into the community that poured so much into him.
Even though he never graduated from HU, it’s dope to see that he still remembers the impact HBCUs had on him and his career.