Jay-Z is using his massive business holdings in the interest of helping the citizens of Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria. On Wed., Oct. 4 from 7-10 p.m., Jay-Z hosted the disaster relief fundraiser at his Manhattan 40/40 Club.
According to TMZ, Jay-Z's cognac D'Usse was provided (and served my D'Usse models, no less) to any attendees donating needed supplies or money to the relief effort.
The invite to the fundraiser lists desperately needed supplies such as flashlights, solar lamps, school supplies and of course batteries. With much of the island still without power, and shipping goods to and from the island facing restrictions and delays, Jay-Z utilized a plane to fly the donations into Puerto Rico on Thurs., Oct. 5. The Puerto Rican Family Institute and Big & Little Skills Academy is organizing the event. A separate plane hired by TIDAL was set to deliver another 200,000 pounds of supplies.
While Jay-Z may be primarily known as a musician and highly successful business man, he's focused heavily on philanthropic endeavors since his retirement. He began by establishing The Shawn Carter Foundation, which helps disadvantaged youths attend college. Subsequently, he met with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Anan in 2009 at the United Nations New York Headquarters and pledged to use his upcoming concerts to raise awareness about global water shortages. And for the past three years Jay-Z has held an annual benefit concert for various charities.
On Oct. 17, Jay-Z will be following up the Manhattan fundraiser with a massive Hurricane Relief Concert hosted by his music streaming company, TIDAL. Headliners of the concert include Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, and will be taking place at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York. The proceeds from the event, including ticket sales, will go towards helping the victims of all three hurricanes and even victims of the earthquake in Mexico.
If you'd like to follow Jay-Z's example and help some people in need, you can donate here.