(AllHipHop News) Rapper Lil Dicky is celebrating the first anniversary of his animated short film “Earth” by donating $800,000 to help combat climate change and contribute to COVID-19 relief.
His quirky movie, featuring cameos from Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, and Katy Perry, among others, was released to promote his single of the same name on Earth Day, 2019.
It has now surpassed 750 million streams globally.
A year later, the rap star, real name Dave Burd, has decided to give back, stating: “I’m very honored and humbled that we’re able to give this money to these organizations and super thankful of all of the artists on this song who made this possible. And of course, thank you to every Earthling out there for listening and spreading the word.
“Unfortunately, the fight to save this planet isn’t even close to over, and we’re going to have to amplify our efforts way more to turn this thing around. Because pretty soon, it’ll be too late.
“And even though times have never been scarier with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has shown me something: that we can modify our day-to-day behavior to adapt to a crisis when it’s right in front of us. Even if you don’t feel the climate crisis at every moment, it is truthfully right in front of us. And all across the world, humanity has banded together to combat the spread of COVID-19, putting convenience aside for the greater good. If we keep that same energy and apply it towards the environment, we can probably save the Earth. We should definitely do that.”
His donation will be shared between eco-charities Amazon Frontlines, the Carbon Cycle Institute, the Global Greengrants Fund, the Quick Response Fund for Nature, the Shark Conservation Fund, and The Solutions Project, and Lil Dicky has also allocated $215,000 to launch a COVID-19 x Climate Response Fund in partnership with The Solutions Project.
The cash will be used to “fund organizations coordinating response efforts in areas deeply impacted by COVID-19 where climate injustice is already rampant.”