A hoodie meant to raise money for Jamaica as the country recovers from Hurricane Melissa is causing debate online, as people call out Drake and Vybz Kartel for making profit over tragedy.
On Thursday, Toronto rapper Drake’s October’s Very Own (OVO) brand launched its new Jamaica OG Hurricane Relief Hoodie in collaboration with dancehall artist Vybz Kartel. The special-edition hoodie is being sold for $228 between Nov. 6–13.
The collaboration is an initiative to raise money for Jamaica, as the island works to rebuild after Hurricane Melissa’s destruction, as the brand says it will donate $100 of every hoodie sold to the Rockhouse Foundation Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund to support work on the island.
However, the efforts have been causing debate online, as many users have been pointing out that the brand is keeping most of the profit made from the hoodie.
“Love the cause, but you’re selling it for $228, donating $100 to the charity relief, and pocketing $128 profit for a hoodie that costs no more than $40 to make?” one person questioned on Instagram.
“I love how rich people donate by selling us more s**t. Donate from your heart and savings,” another person said.
“They could just donate,” a different person pointed out on X.
Meanwhile, other users are defending the initiative, saying that at least they are making an effort to help.
“Imagine complaining because they are doing something to help,” one person said on X.
“You don’t even know what the $128 is for. It could be for transportation (prices keep rising), it could be to pay people fairly, it could be for different bills around the operation. I hate when a good thing is done and the first thing y’all do is question and shame the donation,” another person suggested on Instagram.
“Business is business at the end of the day. [Just] because a tragedy happens, it doesn’t mean life stopped or paused…we still gotta live our life and do what we gotta do,” a different user said.
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica last week, bringing wind speeds of nearly 295 km/h and significant flooding, and becoming one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the Atlantic in centuries.
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As the country hopes to rebuild from destruction caused by the storm, communities across the world have been sending donations to support recovery efforts, including Toronto’s Little Jamaica, who organized a donation drive to the island last weekend.
