Source: Jeff Bottari / Getty
While in town to perform at the Fast & Furious 9 trailer launch event, rapper and actor Ludacris decided to put his money to a good cause.
The 42-year-old hit up Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School to surprise students with $75,000 worth of music equipment. The donation was done with the help of StubHub’s #TicketForward program, a collaborative initiative with The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation that aims to invest $3 million in public school music programs.
“I understand the importance of music education,” Ludacris told NBC Philadelphia. “It’s very important to me.”
As part of the high school visit, Luda stuck around for a Q&A segment where he offered advice to the teenagers on what it takes to follow your dreams and be persistent.
“If it weren’t for individuals reaching back and giving me that confidence, I wouldn’t be here today,” he explained. “If you get knocked down nine times, you get up 10. Just keep going.”
Students aside, Luda also recognizes how important guidance for the kids is, and surprised the band director Kevin Segura with two tickets to Super Bowl LIV, where the San Francisco 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs.
“We have instruments being held together with tape, they don’t move, they’re banged up,” Segura said. “So these instruments are going to improve our sound and going to motivate kids to want to do band so hopefully I can build up this program to what it once was back in the day … I’m really, really excited that I’m going to the game. I didn’t think I was going so this was a nice surprise for me.”
