UPDATE: December 14
Although reports have been circulating stating that the profits from the Free Larry Hoover merch would not be going to charity, a rep has reached out to confirm this is untrue. The merch is considered a larger component of the show, and the portions of the profits will thus be going to help legal reform groups such as Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, Hustle 2.0 and Uptown People’s Law Center.
Original story below.
Kanye West and Drake linked up last night for a very special event. The two squashed their beef and performed a plethora of hits at the Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert, which brought thousands of fans to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. In the end, it was a night to remember, and it was all for a good cause as the proceeds from all of the ticket sales went to various criminal justice organizations around the United States.
In addition to the tickets, the two artists were selling merchandise created by Demna, who is the creative director over at Balenciaga. As you can see in the Instagram post below, this merch included a hoodie, t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and even a hat. The prices for these items ranged from $60 to $400, and it was believed that the profit from these sales would go to the same organizations that benefitted from the ticket sales.
According to Eileen Cartter of GQ, however, this is simply not the case. In their report, it was stated that the profits from the merch will not go to charity and that at this time, there is no concrete answer as to where the money is going to go.
“While proceeds from ticket sales for the concert will reportedly benefit a number of criminal justice reform groups, profits from merch sales are not being earmarked for charity,” GQ explained in its report. Having said that, the items are still available for purchase on the Amazon Fashion store.
Regardless of this news, the event was still a huge success, and it brought a lot of eyes to Larry Hoover's case. Not to mention, it was a huge moment for the culture, which is exactly what Kanye and Drake were going for.