DECATUR, Ga. _ Rapper 21 Savage paid a visit to a school in DeKalb County recently to talk to students about financial literacy and growing their bank accounts.
He met with students as part of his Bank Account Campaign, an initiative aimed at teaching money basics to young people.
At the Camp Jewell House Academy, a private school in Decatur, he talked to about 40 third and fourth graders recently about financial literacy, gang violence, gun control and the importance of staying in school, according to a press release. He was joined by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson.
"For most kids, the focus is on earning money. And while that is important, to really get ahead you need to know how to manage your money, not just make it," the rapper said in a statement. "As I have gotten smarter about financial management, I realize how important it is to control your money rather than be controlled by it.
He committed $100 to each of the young people who attended the event to open up their bank accounts. Though a workshop with the rapper, the students earned the "Stack Your Money Badge" as part of the Bank Account Campaign.
21 Savage, whose real name is She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, launched the campaign last year, months before he was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on charges that he is from the United Kingdom and has been living in the country illegally. He was granted bond on Feb. 12, after which he launched the second phase of the campaign.
He announced a partnership with Get Schooled, a non-profit for high school students, and Juma, a non-profit that helps employ youth, to boost financial literacy among young people in Atlanta. Abraham-Joseph also promised 150 local Atlanta students jobs by this June.
21 Savage calls DeKalb County home, and has led several initiatives aimed at community improvement for young people.
For several years, he posted his "Issa Back 2 School Drive," where he gave out free school supplies to more than 2,500 DeKalb County students and their families.
