Proceeds from the premiere of the upcoming crime drama American Gangster will be donated to the Boys & Girls Club of America it was announced today [September 26].

The highly anticipated movie is the true story of 1970's crime lord Frank Lucas, who smuggled millions of dollars worth of heroin into the United States using the coffins of American soldiers returning from the Vietnam War.

"The Boys & Girls Club exerted a profound influence on me and so many of my peers growing up, and I consider it an honor to give back," Washington said.

American Gangster features rappers like T.I., Common, RZA and others starring opposite Oscar Award winning actors Denzel Washington, who plays Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe, who plays Richie Roberts, a detective who is Lucas' nemesis.

Actor Cuba Gooding Jr., also a Boys & Girls Club alumnus, also stars in the film as crime king pin Nicky Barnes.

Washington, who is the national spokesman for Boys & Girls Club for the past 15 years, hails from Mount Vernon, New York and spent more than a decade as a member of the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon.

"I spent more than a decade as a member of the Club in Mount Vernon, and I'm extremely pleased the production is willing to make 'American Gangster's' premiere a benefit for an organization that plays such an important, positive role in the lives of young people today," Washington.

The premiere of the movie is sponsored in part by Volkswagen and will be held on Friday, October 19, 2007, the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, followed by a VIP reception.

In related news, Jay-Z recently announced that he is recording a concept album titled American Gangster, separate from the film's official soundtrack.

Jay-Z's American Gangster is his interpretation of the film and will feature all-new material.

American Gangster the movie opens nationwide on November 2, while Jay-Z's American Gangster musical interpretation hits stores November 6 on Rocafella Records.