Adidas is committed to providing new opportunities and creating lasting change for students in the L.A. community by partnering up with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s Iovine and Young Academy and PENSOLE founder D’Wayne Edwards.

This past fall, in partnership with the USC Iovine and Young Academy, students participated in a series of “Wood U” workshops, working with Adidas and Inglewood native, D Smoke, to design an apparel and footwear line driven by “longevity, ambition, power and love” that launched in select LA stores on Feb. 7.

“Adidas has long been involved in the Los Angeles area and its community,” said Ayesha Martin, Adidas Senior Director, Communities & Social Impact in the press release.

“As part of your commitment to continue to support communities and our youth, we’re proud to be part of these new partnerships to advance opportunities for students from communities who are historically underserved. We're bringing together the absolute best in sport, business and design–first working with students in the Los Angeles area and then with others around the country through Adidas Community.”

The sneaker-brand held a pep rally during Super Bowl Weekend to honor the students who participated in the “Wood U” workshops where BET.com had a chance to chat with Roddy Ricch about any initiatives of his own. He shared with us his first rule of business, which is of importance to anyone who want to make financial growth.

“I would focus on financial security,” shared the BET Award recipient. “Everyone who steps into the ring, they always have talent but it’s also about staying stable because artists forget about the other side of the industry. Just teaching financial literacy and showcasing the other aspects of the business besides being talented.”

The 23-year-old musician performed at the pep rally, located at Audubon Middle School, as a surprise performance for the students. As students rapped along the words to his hit records “The Box” and “High Fashion,” time will tell if the next big artist was in the crowd.

Ricch tells us the key that makes a talented artist is “individuality.”

“I feel like an artist shouldn’t care about what their surroundings [are] and continue to be who they are,” he expressed. “For me, where I come from - a lot of artists sound a certain way. I stay hellbent on always keeping my own sound and always being me. The advice I would give to other artists is always stay true to who you are and not worry about what anyone thinks.”

One of his goals for the new year is to “reach higher heights” and wanting to take his career to “another level,” including starting a new venture that he wasn’t quite ready to reveal at the time..

You can learn more about the Wood U initiative by visiting here.