(AllHipHop News) Rap mogul Master P is hosting a peace rally before his celebrity basketball game later this month in honor of a young child killed in Kentucky.
The first Essence Festival charity celebrity basketball game, staged by Master P’s Team Hope NOLA foundation, will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana on June 29, and the “Make ‘Em Say Uhh!” hitmaker has added a rally to the events surrounding the big game after hearing about the death of seven-year-old Dequante Hobbs Jr., who was killed last month after a stray bullet from a shooting incident passed through his kitchen window and hit him in the head.
Master P has invited Hobbs’ mother, Micheshia Norment, to the A National Day of Peace rally and the basketball game. Proceeds from the event go to Master P’s youth scholarship fund.
“When I heard of this horrific tragedy, I had to reach out to his family,” the rap mogul and entrepreneur says in a press release. “As a father, I can only imagine what she (Norment) must be going through. I wanted to do something special for her.
“Inviting her to New Orleans as my guest during Essence is just a small gesture to try and put a smile on her face. We are calling for peace. We need to send a strong message to communities across America: this senseless violence must stop.”
The big game will be held at the Xavier University of Louisiana Convocation Center in New Orleans. Master P and his son Romeo Miller will play in the game, along with Silkk the Shocker, Curren$y, Trey Songz, Ray J, Juvenile, and Doug E. Fresh. Former NBA professionals Chris Jackson, Robert Pack, Caron Butler, and Ben Gordon will also play at the inaugural event.