Rapper Lil Wayne gave Donald Trump a thumbs-up after meeting the president to discuss his plan for investing $500m in the African-American community during a second term.
The 38-year-old rapper, real name Dwayne Michael Carter Jr, posted a smiling photo of the pair on Twitter, saying they had a great meeting.
“Besides what he’s done so far with criminal reform, the Platinum Plan is going to give the community real ownership,” he said in a tweet.
“He listened to what we had to say today and assured he will and can get it done.”
Lil Wayne is the second high-profile rapper to have discussed helping Black Americans directly with the Trump administration, with Ice Cube working with the White House to incorporate parts of his own “Contract with Black America” into the Platinum Plan.
The proposed “Platinum Plan” includes the creation of 3 million jobs and investing $500m in Black communities over four years, according to the Trump campaign.
While neither rapper officially endorsed president, Ice Cube said he was contacted by both the Trump and Biden campaigns to discuss his Contract with Black America, which outlines banking, police and prison reform, and other reforms to earn “support of the Black vote”.
“Both parties contacted me. Dems said we’ll address the CWBA after the election. Trump campaign made some adjustments to their plan after talking to us about the CWBA,” he said in a tweet.
He later appeared on CNN and Fox News to say he was willing to work with anyone in power for the benefit of his community.
“They listened, heard what I had to say … and pumped up their plan and presented it to the people on September, I believe, 24,” the rapper told Fox News.
Eddie Hassell: ‘The Kids Are All Right’ actor shot dead in Texas carjacking
Hassell, 30, who also had a recurring role on the NBC sci-fi series Surface, was shot on Sunday morning at around 1am outside his girlfriend’s apartment in Grand Prairie, Variety reported.
Police said in a press release that they were investigating the incident, and that the motive for the attack remained unclear. A vehicle was taken from the scene during the incident and later recovered by the police.
The actor was a native of Texas and had several small roles during the 2000s and 2010s. He started acting from his late teens. His most notable work remains The Kids Are All Right, where he starred alongside Mark Ruffalo and Juliane Moore. The film was nominated for the best picture Academy Award in 2011.
Hassell played Phil in 2005 series Surface, and also had several cameo roles in films including 2012, The Family Tree, Family Weekend, House of Dust, Warrior Road, the Steve Jobs biopic Jobs and Bomb City. His last film role was the 2017 comedy Oh Lucy!.
The actor also featured in other TV series including Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Joan of Arcadia, Bones, Longmire and Oliver Beene.
During his career, Hassell was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble.
Apart from his love for acting, the actor was an avid surfer and skateboarder. In a 2013 interview with Elle, Hassell said: “Skateboarding’s been a huge part of my life, it also got me cast in commercials. I got into skating. I did all my own stunts. I’m into anything with a board: surfing, wakeboarding.”
Hassell was born on 16 July 1990, in Corsicana, near Dallas. He moved to Los Angeles at the age of 11 to pursue an acting career.
