It's been a big year for Georgia-born, Texas-bred artist Khalid. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter dropped his second studio album Free Spirit, which topped the Billboard 200 album chart, and he also managed to get a placement on Time's list of the 100 most influential people of 2019.
With all his continued success, however, he's been met with some criticism. One person on Twitter accused Khalid of turning his back on his hometown of El Paso, and now he's clapped back.
"So are we gonna ignore the fact that Khalid used the underground community support to get him noticed, he made it, come back and took everyone's money in El Paso, and hasn't done ANYTHING to even REMOTELY support [t]he amazing pool of talented individuals in our city, that put him on," the Twitter troll wrote.
In response, Khalid tweeted, "Actually, I created a foundation that supports music & schools in underserved communities." He continued, "It starts in El Paso and my goal is to provide resources and help bridge education and prominent music programs in the city. I'm giving 30,000 in schloarships next month."
In a separate tweet, he added that he's donated "a shit load of money in El Paso," and even personally handed out Christmas gifts to children in the city. "Y'all mothafuckas be speaking not knowing shit lol," he said.
He did receive some support from 6lack, with whom he's previously collaborated. "But of course if you don't post about it, it doesn't exist to some people," 6lack wrote. "Good people do good things, and not for any outside approval or validation."
In more positive news, Khalid took the time to celebrate his placement on the Time 100 list on Tuesday night. As Billboard reports, he performed a brief set at the Time 100 Gala in New York.
During the ceremony to honor those included on the list, fellow honoree Taylor Swift told Khalid she's a "huge fan." She added, "If you haven't listened to his new album Free Spirit, that's a real loss. That's a real missed opportunity."
