Grammy-winner Anderson .Paak supports hometown arts center

FILE – In this Dec. 4, 2019 file photo, Anderson .Paak arrives at the world premiere of “Spies in Disguise” at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The Oxnard-born rapper and singer has announced his support of a performing arts center west of Los Angeles amid plans for the facility to close at the end of the year. Grammy-winning artist Anderson .Paak visited the Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center urging fans to donate to keep the city-owned facility around, the Ventura County Star reported Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — Rapper and singer Anderson .Paak is lending his support to an arts center facing closure in his Southern California hometown of Oxnard.

The Grammy-winner visited the Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center and urged his fans to donate to keep the city-owned facility open, the Ventura County Star reported Wednesday.

His Brandon Anderson Foundation said donated money would be set aside for the center, but .Paak himself made no financial commitments.

The 33-year-old said he wants to house his foundation at the center to create a space where people could record music, rehearse plays and have boxing matches.

“I want this to be a hub for creativity,” .Paak said. “The city deserves it.”

Paak, an eclectic musician who blends funk, hip-hop and R&B, named his 2018 album “Oxnard.”

The performing arts center used to receive an annual $1 million subsidy from the city before officials announced it would shut down at the end of this year.

Center board members said they are meeting with the city manager about the future, but the facility is not on the Tuesday agenda for the final City Council meeting of the year, the newspaper said.