Chance the Rapper Crashes Coding Class in Chicago and Makes $1 Million Announcement

Chicago fifth-graders at Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Paideia Academy received a pleasant surprise on Wednesday when Chance the Rapper walked into their coding class. During his visit to the school, the Grammy Award-winning artist also announced that his nonprofit, SocialWorks, received a $1 million donation from Google’s charity arm to help fund Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

Chance, who made the appearance during Computer Science Education Week, dropped in as Google employees were teaching the students how to code and create cartoon animations on laptops. Naturally, the students were in awe of the 24-year-old hip hop artist, who at one point presented an animation that he created himself using the same computer program, reports the Chicago Tribune.

“There’s a lot of people who use the internet every day, using different software and hardware designed by people just like y’all,” he told the children.

In addition to donating a $1 million grant to Chance’s nonprofit, Alphabet’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, David Drummond, revealed that Google.com will also donate $500,000 directly to CPS.

“We’re honored to support SocialWorks’ mission to help underrepresented students in Chicago reach their full potential, as well as Chicago Public Schools’ efforts to turn computer science into a pathway for creative expression,” said Google.org principal Justin Steele, according to The Huffington Post. “There’s so much talent and creativity in the communities that these schools serve—and Chance the Rapper embodies what can happen when that creativity is unleashed. With exposure to computer science, students can use technology to turn their creative passions—whether that’s art, writing, music or something else—into something bigger.”

According to Justin Cunningham, the executive director of SocialWorks, Google’s donation will help expose Chicago students to “another pathway to success,” he said in a statement. Cunningham added, “While every student doesn’t need to become a computer scientist, understanding the basics empowers them to understand the world they live in. The opportunity to help kids code to share their music, artwork, and distinct point of view is at the core of our mission and an experience we look forward to providing in classrooms across the city.”