PJ Morton Encourages Us To 'Buy Back The Block' As He Travels Around New Orleans Spreading Joy & Sharing Money


It's Christmas in July for a few residents of New Orleans, and PJ Morton is playing Black Santa in the video for his song "Buy Back The Block." Taken from his 2019 studio album PAUL, the track was inspired by the untimely death of Nipsey Hussle and his commitment to investing in his community in South Los Angeles. PJ has taken that inspiration back to his own hometown and partnered with Liberty Bank, a Black-owned financial institution based in New Orleans, to bless some members of the community with unexpected monetary gifts in the Dominic Scott-directed visual.

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"Buy Back The Block" starts with aerial views of New Orleans while two voiceovers reflect on the value of the Black dollar. A quote from Nipsey follows that reads, "I just believe in ownership. I believe in investing in yourself. Your foundation should be strong." We are then taken to an actual Liberty Bank location where PJ and his daughter Peyton Morton, whose voice can also be heard on the song, are seen leaving with boxes wrapped like Christmas presents and putting them in the trunk of his classic red convertible. PJ hits the road with his 7-year-old happily riding shotgun with daddy and makes a few stops around the city, knocking on doors and placing these gift boxes on people's doorsteps. When the recipients open the boxes we see that they are filled with cold, hard cash and our hearts are warmed.

The money in this video is actually real and not play money, with each person or family who got a gift box receiving $500. PJ and Liberty Bank were able to bless five recipients, all of whom recently lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, and the GRAMMY winner wishes he could have done even more. "For me, I wish I could have given $500 to 5 million people. But, we had to work with what we had," Morton shared with PEOPLE. "Hopefully we can make it a regular thing and give back more when we can."

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With all the bad news and tragedy coming at us from every direction lately, this is the perfect bit of Black Joy that we need right now. Now excuse us while we send PJ Morton our address for the next time he decides to play Black Santa and let the dollar circulate.


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