POWER MOVES: Kodak Black Pays Rent for West Palm families facing eviction

Giving back shows Power, Influence and Impact

Its nothing new for wealthy recording artists, pro atheletes and others that hit the big time to come back home and deliver the dollars to the old neighborhood. In South Florida, there are hundreds of people that hit the big time and came back to elevate their neighborhoods. For example, over the past six months South Florida rental home prices have skyrocketed by as much as 31.5% . Due to this rent increase, many residents are losing their homes as they are finding it harder and harder to be able to pay their rent and keep up with their other household expenses at the same time like food and electricity.This is a national trend that has economist very concerneed.

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When people are hurting, superstars can help.

After seeing how this trend is hurting many families in South Florida, award-winning rapper Kodak Black and the Zachariah McQueen Foundation joined forces to pay the rent of twenty-eight (28) families living in the Merry Place Housing Projects in West Palm Beach, FL, that were facing eviction.

Kodak Black is giving back to dozens of families in his native South Florida, as the Pompano Beach rapper announced on Tuesday that he’s paid rent for some 28 families facing eviction. He posted a message that “28 families was 'bout to get evicted for being behind on their rent a few months,” Kodak added “I paid what they owed and also paid their rents for the next few months, so they good for the remainder of the year. The families on the receiving end of Kodak’s selfless act live at the Merry Place Housing Projects in West Palm Beach.

Kodak (pictured shirtless at left) donated 100 air conditioners to several Pompano Beach residents back in July 2021. That says a lot more about the rapper than most would consider. Yak also spent around $12,500 on the window units and donated them to residents at the Golden Acres Projects, many of whom were brought to tears. Kodak also teamed up with Francky Pierre, who runs the Philanthropic Work and Outreach charity, to help him reach the goals that define his vision. The collaboration worked favorably for the commuities they target with events and initiatives planned thorugt the year. He stated recently that “I’m A Project Baby,” he said. “I Do It Fa The Projects!”

Who is Kodak Black and where did he come from?

For those of you that have no idea of who Kodak Black is, let us help you out of this cultural rift. Kodak, a Pompano Beach native and rap superstar gained initial recognition with his single "No Flockin", released in 2014.

Taking his game to the next level, Yak decided to drop a full album amd his timing was just right.

His debut album, Painting Pictures (2017), peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and included the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 single "Tunnel Vision". Black's second album, Dying to Live (2018), peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the single "Zeze" (featuring Travis Scott and Offset), which peaked at number 2 on the Hot 100.

The rapper has a simple formula for success. He has songs to get you hype, songs to listen to when your bored, songs to listen to when you feel sad. You just need to find the kind of songs your into and listen to it. Kodak Black has probably made a song you will like.

Kodak Black's career has been marked by periods of mainstream success as well as public controversies and legal issues including weapons possession charges and was sentenced to almost four years in federal prison; his sentence was commuted by President Donald Trump in 2021.

But none of that stopped him from making music and creating hit tunes. While incarcerated, he released his third studio album, Bill Israel (2020). His fourth studio album, Back for Everything followed in 2022, and contains the hit single "Super Gremlin" as a bonus track.

Philanthropy isn't new to Kodak

In spite of his run-ins with the law, those who are fans of the star rapper, they already know of his philanthropic track record. On October 1, Kodak Black donated $10,000 to the Jack and Jill Children's center, which is a provider of early children's education. In November 2018, Kodak Black announced that he was building a school in Haiti.

On December 20, 2018, Kodak Black donated enough money to Paradise Childcare in Broward County, Florida, to provide gifts for 150 children in the area. He also donated $5,000 for the organization's annual Christmas party.

In late 2018, he donated $2,500 to South Carolina police officer Terrence Carraway, who was killed in a shootout on duty. On May 3, 2019, Kodak Black donated $12,500 to a girl named Paige Cook, whose goal was to give pencils and notebooks to give to all 7,600 students in the Cleburne Independent School District in Texas, a low-income district. In 2018, Paige raised enough money to buy over 40,000 pencils.

In the wake of the 2019 Colorado STEM shooting, Kodak Black's lawyer reached out to the family of Kendrick Ray Castillo, who was shot and killed after lunging at the attacker, on May 11, and offered to pay for Castillo's funeral. Additionally, they set aside an annual $10,000 scholarship for any student wishing to go to college for science or engineering. His lawyer stated that the family had not yet responded. Kodak also allegedly donated $50,000 to Gekyume, the son of late rapper and collaborator XXXTentacion. Kodak and XXXTentacion were friends up until his death in 2018.

Regardless of what you think of today's rappers and what they do with their money, it's worth noting that there are many more of them choosing to give back than the media may reveal. As we continue to provide POWER MOVES episodes to you, we will include some of the stars on the mic in the elite class of entertainers that give back generously.