KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City nonprofit "GIFT" is taking bridging the racial wealth gap into their own hands.
They've poured more than $1.5 million into Black businesses east of Troost Avenue.
"This is my house," said Krizz Kaliko, founder of Earhouse Technology. "This is the Earhouse."
In Krizz Kaliko's basement-turned studio, he's working on a billion-dollar idea.
"I've been in the music industry for 23 years," he said. "I've traveled the world entertaining. Tech N9ne and I were partners forever."
Kaliko was the rapper's right-hand man, writing his hooks for decades. For the past few years, he's been on his own mixing things up in a different way.
"Take for instance, a Beyonce song — you'll be able to take a Beyonce song and our technology will analyze her song and mix your song just like it," he said.
He's entering the artificial intelligence space and he said he's first in the music industry to launch the idea.
"I never thought this was a possibility coming from this area," Kaliko said.
That was until he got $25,000 from GIFT, which stands for generating income for tomorrow.
"We've raised over $3 million, put $1.6 million back into the community — 65 businesses, 100-plus jobs" said Cornell Gorman, founder of KC GIFT. "So, the impact we wanted to see, we're seeing it."
For Kaliko, this is about more than music.
"I've had mental health issues my entire life," he said. "I've always expressed myself, been very vulnerable in my music and noticed with me doing that, it's helping everybody else."
It's also about pursuing a field in tech where you don't see much representation with just a little faith.
"When I go to prayer, I'm like I need to see something," Kaliko said. "I'm a servant. That's what God meant for me to be — a servant of this world."
KC GIFT is a part of the GIFT Black initiative fundraiser.
Along with several nonprofits, they hope to raise $250,000 to support their mission. You can find more information on their website.
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