Vallejo rapper LaRussell turns neighborhood cafe into ‘pay-what-you-can’ restaurant

Bay Area rapper LaRussell is making a significant contribution to his community by converting Vallejo’s Momo’s Cafe into a “proud 2-pay café.” The rapper had been a regular customer of the restaurant long before its owner, Manuel Melendrez, even knew he was a rapper, according to FoodBeast.

The outlet also reported that LaRussell sometimes hosts live concerts in front of the business as part of his ongoing partnership with Melendrez on a number of community events.

Additionally, this will be LaRussell’s second takeover of the eatery under the pay-as-you-go idea. This time, the campaign will run from October 9 through October 23. In a video he shared on Instagram, LaRussell extended an invitation for everybody to participate.

“THE PROUD 2 PAY CAFE IS BAAAAACCCKKK!!!!” he said. “Man, another year getting to feed the people. I’m grateful and honored to serve! ‘PAY WHAT YOU CAN.'”

LaRussell said to NBC Bay Area, “The goal is for people to pay what they can, and [or] if you want to overpay to really support that’s a great thing, but you pay what you can. We know there’s people who can’t pay as well. We have a very high homeless population in Vallejo, and everyone’s not able to pay, but we still want to make sure you eat.”

The rapper previously used his own money to help with the remodeling of the eatery, which has served the Bay Area community for more than a decade. He is also known for hosting ticketed concerts in his backyard, which he converted into a performance area.

According to All Music, the Vallejo native founded Good Compenny, an organization dedicated to supporting developing Bay Area talent, in 2017.

As an independent artist himself, LaRussell constantly fights for fellow musicians to maintain their independence by offering tips on how to monetize their careers without having to sell the rights to their music to make money, according to NBC Bay Area.