Rapper Common most recently displayed his generosity after donating $10,000 to Harlem’s Renaissance School of the Arts in partnership with AdoptAClassroom.org.
The money will be aid the institution in purchasing more art supplies and science instruments.
“I always felt like one of my biggest duties and purposes is to hit the youth with something that’s inspiring,” he told the Associated Press.“Hit young people with something that can motivate them to be in their greatness.”
To present the students with their surprise, the rapper appeared at the Renaissance School to speak on the importance of honing your talents and persevering.
His mother, Dr. Mahalia Hines, a teacher and member of Chicago’s Board of Education also spoke at the school, touching on the lack of resources that teachers often face.
“A lot of the materials you needed to teach, we weren’t given the money to do it so you just went out and bought your own,” she noted. “If you had to have notebooks … you bought them because there were many lessons you definitely would have not been able to do without them,” she said.
