Trae tha Truth will be honored with the Billboard Change Maker Award at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards later this month.
The Texas rapper is the second recipient to receive this award following Killer Mike’s initial win last year for using music and "celebrity" status to impact change within their communities.
"It's an honor to be recognized at the level that they are to come to reach to somebody like myself that's in the field every day and still on the frontlines," Trae tells Billboard. "Definitely an honor and a humbling experience just being appreciated. You don't really do things like this for those reasons, but it's a bonus when people do actually value what you do."
This year's Billboard Change Maker Award has been turned into a charitable item through a partnership with the BBMAs first non-fungible tokens (NFT). Proceeds will be donated to Trae’s non-profit, Angel by Nature.
Trae tha Truth is considered a man for the people, who provided relief in Houston through Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and marched in the name of justice for the deaths of Breonna Taylor and his friend George Floyd last year.
The "Protect Our Women" rapper continues to make an impact with inspiration from Floyd and late artists, such as Nipsey Hussle, who was shot in 2019, and DMX, who died of a heart attack in April.
"I feel like maybe it's a piece of each one of them that continues to find its way inside of me, that continues to make me stronger and accomplish more things because I haven't stopped," he continues. "And I don't think I'm planning on stopping no time soon."
Tune into the Billboard Music Awards airing live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on May 23 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.