Money raised through Offset’s campaign will go toward cancer prevention and access to care in underserved communities. (Image courtesy of Twitter/American Cancer Society)
Rapper Offset, of the award-winning Atlanta hip-hop group Migos, is looking to aid the fight against cancer in a big way. With the help of fellow artists, corporate sponsors and loving fans, the rapper has launched a fundraising campaign to collect $500,000 for the American Cancer Society, the non-profit announced Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Like others dedicated to the fight against cancer, Offset’s effort is a deeply personal one. His grandmother, Sallie Ann Smith, passed from bladder cancer in 2012. The rapper said coping with her loss was hard, as his grandmother was a significant role model in his life.
“It was really tough losing my grandma to cancer and one of the hardest things I have dealt with in my life,” Offset said. “She motivated me to do my best and go for it; one of my biggest coaches”
The “Bad and Boujee” rapper isn’t the only one pitching in on the effort. His bandmates, Quavo and Takeoff, along with their record label, Quality Control Music, are rallying their contacts to make sure Offset reaches his $500,000 goal, according to the press release. Like Offset, the other Migos members have also been impacted by cancer.
“We’re proud to support Offset’s efforts to help raise money for the American Cancer Society, so they can address cancer in underserved communities,” Quavo and Takeoff said. “We encourage all our fans to donate if they can.”
ACS statistics show that not all Americans have benefited equally, despite recent progress in cancer treatments. For one, African-Americans have some of the lowest survival rates of any racial group in the country for most cancers. The gap is slowly narrowing, however as the 5-year relative survival rate for all cancers has increased 20 percentage points among whites and 24 percentage points among Blacks over the last 50 years, the nonprofit’s “Cancer Statistics 2017” report showed.
To honor his grandmother, Offset’s campaign will raise funds to promote prevention and access to care in underserved communities. The money raised will also go toward helping fund an ACS grant for bladder cancer research.
“We are honored that Offset chose to work with us,” said Sharon Byers, chief development and marketing officer for the American Cancer Society. “His inspiration and support for the American Cancer Society is one that makes him a unique artist – one who wants our world to be better.”
For more information on Offset’s campaign, click here.
