The 2K Artists Doing Good Things

It’s the holiday season – a time of goodwill, generosity, and sharing!

Throwback 2K is taking those themes to heart with our $2K for the Holidays Contest! Simply listen to Throwback 2K this weekend, then enter any two songs you hear for the chance to win $2K: that’s $1,000 for you, and $1,000 for the charity/nonprofit of your choice!

Just think about all the good that $1,000 could do!

In the spirit of goodwill, we thought we’d highlight a few of our favorite Throwback 2K artists and the nonprofits they started! No surprise here, these artists make good music and do good things for their fellow humans!

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s BeyGOOD nonprofit

Beyoncé is not only one of the most successful music artists in the world, she believes that everyone has the right to economic equity. The vision statement for her public charity foundation states:

BeyGOOD believes in a society where everyone has an opportunity to prosper. Our work helps organizations, institutions, and people work to transform their communities into places of well-being, economic prosperity, generosity, and justice.

BeyGOOD was established in 2013. It serves by assisting people in need, supporting nonprofits that serve under-resourced communities, provides educational scholarships, and gives resources to support entrepreneurialism. Read more about BeyGOOD here! 

Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation

Rihanna is a passionate supporter of our planet. Her nonprofit, The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), was founded in 2012 in honor of Rihanna’s grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. CLF invests in climate justice initiatives in the Caribbean & United States and helps communities prepare for and withstand natural disasters. The CLF takes a 360-degree approach in the areas of climate resilience, climate justice, and legacy projects. You can learn more about CLF here. 

Nicki Minaj’s Student of the Game charity

Nicki Minaj started her Student of the Game charity in 2017, somewhat on a whim, after several fans reached out to her asking for help paying for college. She then launched the social hashtag #StudentOfTheGame for fans to post how much money they needed, and what it was for. She then DMed those who were chosen to receive assistance. Earlier this month, Minaj announced her own plans to go to college and will relaunch Student of the Game to help others do the same thing. She told fans to stand by for more information, so watch her account on X for more! 

Bono’s ONE and (RED) Organizations

U2 frontman Bono has always been a passionate supporter of human rights. He founded two sister organizations, ONE and (RED) to fight for more equal futures. ONE’s mission statement reads:

ONE fights for a more just world by demanding the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. We envision a world where Africa is an equal player and people across Africa have access to abundant economic opportunities and lead thriving, healthy lives. We empower all people to use their voices to build a more just world, because none of us are equal until all of us are equal. 

(RED) fights AIDS and the injustices that allow pandemics to thrive. The website states that since 2006, (RED) has generated over $760 million towards the Global Fund’s fight to end AIDS, and impacted over 290 million lives. (RED)-supported Global Fund grants help empower health workers and provide testing, treatment and care in places where injustice has enabled pandemics to thrive.

You can learn more about ONE here, and more about (RED) here. 

50 Cent’s G-Unity Foundation

The “In da Club” singer, born Curtis James Jackson III, founded G-Unity to empower youth to develop the confidence, tools, and knowledge they need to excel at life. G-Unity supports and administers programs that foster conscious capitalism, plus social and leadership skills for youth nationwide. Something really cool: G-Unity is planning a Business Lab summer camp to encourage entrepreneurship for high-school students in at-risk communities. You can get more information about G-Unity here. 

The possibilities are endless – what nonprofit would you support with $1,000 in our $2K for the Holidays contest?