GoFundMe Puts B.o.B.'s $1 Million Flat Earth Research Fundraising Drive on Hold
American hip hop recording artist Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr., better known as B.o.B., is currently asking for donations for weather balloons and satellites so that he can finally see for himself that the Earth is not flat. However, the GoFundMe drive is currently on hold, according to the fundraising platform.
While Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas still in shambles, Simmons Jr. just had to take this timing to levy donations from his fans to send equipment off the Earth's atmosphere so that he can see for himself that the planet is not flat.
While GoFundMe is not wholly against campaigns like this, a representative did state that the company has decided to put Simmon's drive on hold, for now.
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A spokesperson sent a statement that while the platform will shut down campaigns that run counter to their terms and conditions, "GoFundMe is also an open platform, and ultimately it is up to the GoFundMe community to decide which campaigns to donate to," their message to The Verge said.
"Although this campaign does not presently violate our terms of service, we have placed the campaign funds on hold while we work with the organizer to ensure funds are managed appropriately," the statement added.
With a total milestone of $1 million, the company stands to keep more than $79,000 in fees from donations to Simmons' "research."
Simmons Jr. is currently worth $8 million, as assessed by Celebrity Net Worth, a figure he would have started when he was 14 years old. However, he went broke as he spent his first earnings too quickly — an experience he claimed taught him an important lesson.
The artist worked with pop superstar Bruno Mars for his 2010 hit single "Nothin' On You," which climbed to number one in the U.S. and the U.K. It all went downhill from there, though, with his latest album only getting as high as number 97 on the U.S. Billboard top charts.
The video below shows Simmons raising the donation goal higher from $200,000 to $1 million for his research into the real shape of the planet Earth. The multi-millionaire artist has kicked in $1,000 to get the campaign started.
