Rap producer/songwriter Jahlil Beats has been helping the underserved find affordable housing in his hometown of Chester, writes Kershaw St. Jawnson with Seleah Simone for AllHipHop.com.

“The last maybe three years, I’ve been heavy in the real estate in my hometown Chester, Pennsylvania,” said Beats. “On the residential side, I got about like 400 properties that I’m developing.”

His team is creating modular homes in downtown Chester, where they own several acres and a signature sneaker store, DTLR.

Beats is trying to offer affordable housing to those who may be pushed out by gentrification.

Chester was once a town known for its shipyard and industrial base. Now, a third of the people live below the poverty line, according to NextCity.org.

A lot of tenants struggle to pay rent, with 35 percent of their annual income going to landlords.

“(We are) just trying to control, and have it black-owned because a lot of these companies is coming in and they’re like taking over, but they don’t understand our people, or they don’t understand the demographic,” Beats said.

Read more about Jahlil Beats at AllHipHop.com here.

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