Jeezy teamed up with artist Dr. Fahamu Pècou for a private art auction in Atlanta that raised funds for youth empowerment.
Jeezy brought Hip-Hop and fine art together in Atlanta for a private auction that raised funds for youth programs and honored the 20th anniversary of his breakout album.
The Grammy-nominated rapper partnered with acclaimed visual artist Dr. Fahamu Pècou on July 29 to debut “School of Hard Knocks,” a custom portrait unveiled at the Johnson Lowe Gallery.
The painting, which sold to Jeezy’s longtime mentor Jerry Thomas for an undisclosed amount, will benefit both Jeezy’s Street Dreamz Foundation and the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta.
The event celebrated Jeezy’s 2005 debut album Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 and merged themes of resilience, transformation and education.
The artwork depicts Jeezy in all white, posed like a professor holding a fictional book titled They We Didn’t Realize We Were Seeds.
The piece also includes a transparent backpack filled with cowrie shells and a crystallized Snowman emblem—symbols that reimagine surveillance tools as markers of empowerment.
“This painting is not just a tribute to Jeezy’s 20-year legacy,” said Dr. Pècou. “It is an offering to all the thinkers, hustlers, and visionaries molded in fire. For those of us who come through the margins, the school of hard knocks isn’t metaphor—it’s alma mater. And from its halls, we emerge not broken, but forged—brilliant, unbowed, and blooming.”
Radio host Frank Ski served as the night’s auctioneer, helping secure the sale that will now support two community-focused organizations. Jeezy’s Street Dreamz Foundation, a 501(c)(3), works to uplift at-risk youth with programs in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, health and tech.
Meanwhile, Dr. Pècou’s museum continues to highlight the artistic legacy of the African diaspora in Atlanta.
The Johnson Lowe Gallery, known for showcasing internationally respected artists, hosted the invitation-only event, which blended Hip-Hop’s cultural weight with the reflective power of visual art.
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