While many hip-hop artists use their musical platforms to drop knowledge about social issues, Nicki Minaj is personally financing change.
The award-winning rapper held a spontaneous education fundraiser last weekend on Twitter, during which she pledged to help anyone finance their education, as long as they had proof of a 4.0 Grade Point Average.
On Friday, Minaj followed up her effort with an Instagram post detailing the fans she helped, including the dollar amounts she gave, and what specifically the money went toward. In all, the rapper reported she has given more than $18 thousand toward helping straight-A students pay for tuition, student loans, and school supplies.
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Minaj then upped the ante by announcing she is launching a charity to help students with tuition and debt.
“This makes me so happy,” she wrote. “I’ll do another impromptu payment spree in a month or 2 but pls know that I’m launching my official charity for Student Loans/Tuition Payments VERY SOON! You’ll be able to officially sign up! I’ll keep you posted.”
Aside from the Instagram post, there hasn’t been a confirmation of payments yet from Minaj’s camp, ABC News reports. But fans who benefitted from Minaj’s generosity have vouched for her.
Nicki Minaj really helped me pay off $4300 in debt this week... I'll never stop saying that. #NickiBBMAs
— Jordan (@J0rdan0re0) May 14, 2017
The effort started when Minaj announced on Twitter that she would fly contest winners in from anywhere in the world to join her at the Billboard Music Awards. One follower asked if she would pay his loans. She agreed to help him – and anyone else – if they were a straight-A student.
Read More: Nicki Minaj Just Helped 30 Fans Pay For College
A half-hour later, Minaj had pledged funding to 30 people and promised a second round of scholarships in a month or two, which she reaffirmed through the Instagram update.
Minaj hasn’t provided details about the charity other than it will be set up soon. But when it launches, it could help to alleviate the growing student loan crisis in the United States.
Americans owe more than $1.4 trillion in student loan debt, with a delinquency rate of 11.2%, Student Loan Hero reports. The average student loan debt for the class of 2016 was $37,000.
Minaj has previously worked with charities like the Red Cross and Save the Music Foundation. Her involvement with the Get Schooled Foundation motivated teenagers to attend and finish high school.
Now, she’s helping them pay for college – and she won’t have to go on social media every month to do it.