Chance the Rapper is stuck at home in Chicago, but what does being “stuck” even mean these days? He’s putting quarantine to good use and will livestream a special, intimate concert from his home on Thursday, May 14 to raise money for struggling small businesses. It’s all part of Verizon’s “Pay It Forward” series, which has featured artists like Janelle Monae and Billie Eilish. The show will kick off at 8pm ET/7 CST right here.
“I am excited to perform for Verizon’s Pay It Forward Live series which benefits local small businesses, who need our support due to the drastic slowdown in our economy from the global pandemic,” Chance wrote. “As a Chicago native, I would like to especially highlight these black-owned businesses, who are the soul and backbone of our community: Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles, Mikkey’s Retro Grill Stony Island, Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken and Fat Tiger Workshop, just to name a few. It’s more than important than ever that we all come together to get through this tough time and help continue to help support small businesses in our local communities.”
People who watch are encouraged to support local businesses in their area by buying gift cards, merch, takeout or curbside pickup orders. So if you’re not in Chicago and can’t support any of Chance’s favorite local haunts, choose something closer to home. Verizon will donate ten bucks — up to 2.5 million dollars — every time the #PayItForwardLIVE hashtag is used. All the info you need to watch is here.
