Whenever JAY-Z has time in his busy schedule to hop on Twitter and address his three million followers, it’s usually something important. On Thursday (June 9), the God MC made a rare appearance on the social media platform to unveil a new project he’s been working on with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
Hov announced he and Dorsey are funding The Bitcoin Academy, a program designed to teach people about bitcoin and cryptocurrency. The program is currently exclusively available to residents of the Brooklyn rapper’s old Marcy Projects neighborhood, but will expand into other neighborhoods in the future.
Designed in collaboration with Crypto Blockchain Plug and Black Bitcoin Billionaire, The Bitcoin Academy “aims to provide education, and empower the community with knowledge,” teaching participants “how [Bitcoin] works, why you should care and how to build your own financial future,” according to its official website.
“Shout out to @jack. #Bitcoin Academy, starting in Marcy, a place that taught me so much, is hopefully the first of many,” Hov tweeted. “The simple goal is to provide people tools to build independence for themselves and then the community around them.”
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Classes for the program will be available online and in-person starting June 22 up until September 7 and will be instructed by Lamar Wilson and Najah J. Roberts, representatives of Black Bitcoin Billionaire and Crypto Blockchain Plug. Marcy residents can head over to The Bitcoin Academy website to sign up.
Those who participate in the program will receive and get to keep MiFi devices and a one-year limited data plan, as well as smartphones if needed. If that wasn’t enough, the program will also be holding a Crypto Kids Camp for children and teenagers living in Marcy aged 5 to 17.
The Bitcoin Academy is just one of many joint ventures between JAY-Z and Jack Dorsey. Last March, the two orchestrated a $302 million deal to sell Hov’s TIDAL streaming service to Dorsey’s Block (formerly Square, Inc.), with the Roc Nation boss also earning a seat on the company’s board of directors.
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“Jack is one of the greatest minds of our times, and our many discussions about TIDAL’s endless possibilities have made me even more inspired about its future,” JAY-Z tweeted at the time. “This shared vision makes me even more excited to join the Square board. This partnership will be a game-changer for many. I look forward to all this new chapter has to offer!”