Ja Rule has made a profession of making music the world desired to hear. Now, he’s spearheading a recent project aimed toward changing how we view what we like to see.

The hip-hop entrepreneur and his business partner, Herb Rice recently they’d co-founded The Painted House and rolled out its first NFT art collection Black is Beautiful on July 14. Black is Beautiful is described as a shocking depiction of the raw emotions of Black Americans navigating each the thrill and struggles of on a regular basis life in America.

The concept is progressive, and on par with where technology is heading so it makes perfect sense that the smart businessman launched the project. What Ja Rule didn’t realize was he was involved in web3 long before it became a trend.

“I’ve all the time been into collecting memorabilia—celebrity-autographed items, sports trading cards, all of that,” Ja Rule shared with Essence. “So I actually got into it digital trading cards that encapsulated essential sports moments. Little did I do know, until my business partner pointed it to me years ago, that these were NFTs that I used to be purchasing all this time.”

He said there was a natural progression from being an informal early adopter to wanting to achieve ownership within the space, but in a way that felt authentic to him: through artwork.”

“I’ve all the time loved art—I even have pieces lining the entire partitions of house, much to my wife’s dismay,” he said jokingly. “The Painted House really is a manifestation of what I’m really captivated with, beautiful things and technology.”

In partnership with House of First, Black is Beautiful features 1,000 unique, one-of-one collectible NFTs that highlight the work of illustrator Nick Davis. It’s described as an amalgamation “the raw emotions Black Americans navigate on a regular basis in America.”

Ja Rule also shared that as an illustration to his commitment to Black education, the Painted House has partnered with select HBCUs to empower the subsequent generation of creative entrepreneurs. In keeping with a news release, The Painted House will donate 10 percent of primary sales to 5 HBCUs: Jackson State University, Morgan State University, Hampton University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College.

“This is barely the start…we’re definitely aiming to do more within the but we desired to prioritize a partnership with these institutions out the gate because they’re pillars of our communities,” Ja Rule said. “It’s all about education for me. I need our youngsters to be proud to go to HBCUs. I need Fortune 500 corporations to clamor to get those kids at HBCUs because they’re the cream of the crop, and that comes with funding. So is it an enormous donation that we’re giving out? No, it’s not a fantastic big donation, however it’s the beginning of many donations.”

The platform was launched alongside notable figures in entertainment, business and sports including impressive Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat Center, NBA All-Star, and Philanthropist); Ashanti (Grammy Award Winning Singer / Songwriter); Baron Davis (Two-time NBA All-Star, Serial-Entrepreneur, and Investor); Shira Lazar (Emmy Nominated Host, Actress, Author & Blogger); Tanya Sam (Tech Investor, Entrepreneur, and Media Personality); Manouschka Gurrier (Celebrity Chef); Nely Galan (Latina Media Dynamo, Best-Selling Writer & Women’s Empowerment Advocate) and more.

“I’m really happy with what we’ve done with this,” Ja Rule said. “It’s time to alter the way in which we view art and appreciate it through the long run’s lens.”