SAN JOSE, California — “Money ain’t no thang” for rap superstar Jay-Z, a man whose persona is built around his fabulous wealth. For example, he rents a luxurious suite at the Barclays Center for $1 million a year as a play area for his daughter Blue Ivy when he watches Brooklyn Nets games. His extravagant lifestyle is in stark contrast to the lifestyles of the world’s poor, who live on less than $2.50 a day. However, Jay-Z will be headlining the 2014 Global Citizen Festival to take a stand against extreme poverty.
“Change only takes place when and where there is action,” he said in a statement. “I’m joining the 2014 Global Citizen Festival because I believe through actions, whether it be by raising awareness, getting involved or educating ourselves, the goal to end extreme poverty by 2030 is possible.”
Featuring Jay-Z, Tiësto, Carrie Underwood and others, the third annual Global Citizen Festival will take place on the Great Lawn of New York’s Central Park on September 27th. The yearly charity event is part of the Global Citizen movement initiative by the Global Poverty Project, an international education and advocacy organization that works to catalyze the movement to end extreme poverty by 2030.
The festival has three main goals this year: to convince the U.S. Congress to pass the Water for the World Act, to help boost international commitments to the Global Partnership for Education to $3.5 billion and to urge worldwide leaders to pledge $7.5 billion to the GAVI Alliance, whose own goal is to immunize 300 million children in the next half decade.
Counting on their star power, the performers and the festival’s organizers hope that each artist’s massive fan base will help the cause by raising both awareness and funds with their excitement to attend the event. The festival coincides with the United Nations General Assembly, which also takes place in New York at the same time every year – with the overlap, the festival’s high profile helps secure financial commitments from world leaders to globally improve education, increase healthcare and alleviate poverty.
“I am very excited to perform at this year’s Global Citizen Festival and continue my support for protecting the world’s children. I’m asking my fans to join me and call on our world leaders to bring about real change that will help our children live healthy, strong lives,” said Tiësto.
To enter a draw for free tickets, festival-goers can earn points on the Global Citizen website by educating themselves about extreme poverty and completing tasks like signing the GAVI petition to secure funding for 300 million children to be immunized against deadly diseases.
Speaking of free, that’s the amount the performers are playing for. Calculating the average earnings for their shows, these free performances stack up to a huge donation – a typical concert night pulls in a lot for Tiësto ($209,900) and Carrie Underwood ($481,967). But coming in as cash king is Jay-Z, whose average tour night rakes in $2.3 million, not counting the almost $5 million per night he’s netting on his current tour with wife Beyoncé.
Their generosity is fueled by the common hope of ending extreme poverty, but also the effectiveness of the festival. Organizer and Global Poverty Project co-founder Hugh Evans, who has now twice managed the feat of bringing together 60,000 people on Central Park’s Great Lawn, claimed that Jay-Z was so impressed with the previous year’s event that he volunteered ahead of anyone else to headline the 2014 festival.
– Annie Jung
Sources: Forbes, Rolling Stone, Global Citizen
Photo: Atlanta Blackstar