Hip-hop producer BricksDaMane rallied an all-star roster of beatmakers to raise over $100,000 for racial justice organizations through a single sample pack release.
When the music industry ground to a halt during the pandemic summer of 2020, one producer decided the silence needed to be filled with something that mattered. Hip-hop producer BricksDaMane helped raise over $100,000 to donate to the Black Lives Matter movement through a collaborative effort that brought together some of the most recognizable names in beat production.
"In the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd, an innocent black man who was brutally killed in broad daylight by a group of Minneapolis police officers, we wanted to try and help in any way possible," BricksDaMane said. "So we decided to release a sample pack to raise money and awareness for this cause." The idea was deceptively simple: bundle together high-quality sounds from top producers, put a price tag on the collection, and send every dollar to organizations fighting racial injustice.
That idea resonated far beyond what anyone anticipated. The campaign tapped into a wave of grassroots giving that swept through communities across the country during those weeks of protest and reckoning.
BricksDaMane is a celebrated music producer who has worked with Young Thug, Drake, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, and 21 Savage. His production credits read like a playlist of modern hip-hop hits, and that reputation gave the project immediate credibility among both producers and fans. For this charity effort he teamed with fellow producers Cymatics, SuperStar O, IllMind, Larry Ohh, Vybe Beatz, and many more. The ensemble of hip-hop talent created and released a drum kit called Hearts Vol. 2, making it available for purchase online to anyone who wanted to support the cause while adding professional-grade sounds to their own production libraries.
Black Lives Matter is a global organization that works to intervene on behalf of Black communities affected by violence. It became the central face of the protests that erupted across the United States and spread to cities around the world.
"Protests have sparked across the world demanding change in a system of inequalities that have been terrorizing people of color for hundreds of years," BricksDaMane added. "We have now raised over $100,000 for the Black Lives Matter movement, to spread awareness against the corrupt actions of the justice system nationwide." The speed at which the funds accumulated surprised even the organizers. Within days of the sample pack going live, orders were flooding in from producers and music fans who saw a tangible way to contribute.
All proceeds from the drum kit sample pack went to Black Lives Matter, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Campaign Zero. The three charities have been instrumental in spreading awareness and standing against racial inequality, police brutality, and systemic injustice. Splitting the funds across multiple organizations ensured the money would address the problem from several angles at once.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is America's premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, the fund seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice for all Americans. It has been at the forefront of landmark civil rights cases for decades.
Campaign Zero was founded in 2015. It calls on federal, state, and local lawmakers to adopt data-driven policy solutions that will hold police accountable and end police violence. The organization researches and promotes specific, actionable legislation rather than broad calls for reform.
For BricksDaMane, the project was personal. Having been raised in Georgia, he knows all too well the problems dealing with racial inequality in the American South and beyond. He added, "It feels good to march the streets and fight for justice that minorities deserve."
What makes the Hearts Vol. 2 campaign worth noting is how it demonstrated a model for collective action within creative industries. Producers pooled their talents, fans opened their wallets, and the result was a six-figure contribution to organizations doing the slow, unglamorous work of systemic change. In a year when many people felt powerless, this group of beatmakers proved that the tools you already have, your skills, your platform, your audience, can be redirected toward something that outlasts any single news cycle.
This post is tagged with: Hip-Hop Producer BricksDaMane,Hip-Hop Producer, BricksDaMane, Black Lives Matter, Cymatics
