T.I. has done a lot of good for his home state of Georgia, and he was recently recognized for it.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the rapper was feted with a resolution recognizing his philanthropic works on March 22 at the Georgia State Capitol, and the honor was spearheaded by State Sen. Donzella James.
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 23: T.I. attends Nickelodeon’s 2019 Kids’ Choice Awards at Galen Center on March 23, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/KCA2019/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
Tip was honored for two of his nonprofits, Harris Community Works, which helps low-income families, and For the Love of Our Fathers, a foundation that he started with his wife Tiny Harris that assists those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The work of those nonprofits is in addition to actions like how during the holiday season in 2015 the rapper paid for shoppers’ gifts at a Walmart, or how in 2011 he made the payment and arrangements for 14 Georgia families to visit their loved ones at the federal Forrest City Correctional Facility in Arkansas, where he was imprisoned at the time. “Their families can’t afford the trip, so I wanted to help out,” Tip said of why he did it.
And one year later, through his K.I.N.G. Foundation, which focuses on homelessness, he partnered with the Georgia’s Veterans Empowerment Organization for a campaign called “Give Like a King” and asked people to give back.
Tip has also spoken to schoolchildren, he’s assisted in hurricane relief efforts and joined marches to protest black people wrongfully being shot by police, which he did in 2016.
And last year, the Grand Hustle founder talked about his real estate company “Buy Back the Block,” where he purchased several buildings and empty lots in the Center Hill section of Atlanta to provide affordable housing. He also has plans to beautify the neighborhood and bring in a major grocery chain, as well as more fresh produce.
Tip has also been one of the leaders in calling for boycotts, like he did last year with Starbucks after one of its locations in Philadelphia mistreated two black men and had them arrested for sitting down without ordering.
The rapper called for a boycott against Gucci as well, after the Italian fashion house endured a firestorm earlier this year over a black turtleneck sweater that resembled blackface design.
