Chicago - GRAMMY U: The Wednesday Word
Rap.O (Rap Point O)
By
Deshawn Peterson
“Go to school! Get good grades! Do your homework!”
These are all phrases that we are all familiar hearing from our parents, older siblings and teachers. However, many students that I have met have had the mentality that if you aspire to become a professional rapper or emcee, then going to school isn’t the determining factor. Examples like Jay-Z, Nas, T.I., and other veterans of the job show that they can succeed without going to college. But as time will show, the standard is constantly being raised, and new-comers are constantly looking for an advantage.
Take the following artists and tell me what you think they have in common: Wale, Ludacris, Kanye West, Big Sean, Lil Wayne, and J. Cole. Yes,obviously, they are the new leaders of today’s rap and hip-hop scoreboards, havecritically acclaimed albums, and number one singles. But there’s one more thing -- They all went to college.Yes College!
Wale attended several universities before pursuing rap full time: Virginia State University, Robert Morris University, and Bowie State University. Kanye West left Chicago State University to move to New Jersey to become a producer. Even Big Sean turned down a full scholarship to Michigan State University for a record deal with Kanye’s G.O.O.D Music Label. Not all artists who’ve attended school dropped out. Ludacris obtained his Bachelor’s from Georgia State University and J. Cole graduated as the valedictorian from St. John’s University.
College (n): an incubator higher education institution that helps students identify, define, and develop skills and knowledge in which they plan to pursue a career.
With a music career in mind, artists such as Wale and Kanye Westprobably attended college to learn concepts and skills that would be applicable to their music careers. Just like a recent graduate applying for a job, you want to stand above the rest of the candidates. WithinHip-Hop,it seems that higher education is giving artists more and more leverage. Not necessarily tangible advantages, but the concepts learned from formal education are being used extensively.
Legends in the game like Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, Talib Qweli, Outkast, and A Tribe Called Quest met each other either growing up together or went to the same high school during their up-and-coming years. Who knows if the next generation of rappers, producers, and moguls will meet in college and will be walking across the stage during graduation.
If you were to ask an artist within the industry,”What did you do to get to your current position?”
Most of the answers would be along the lines of, “I worked hard, met as many people as possible, and persevered through the toughest of times.”
In the near future, I believe that artist will answer that same question including that they attended to college or pursued higher education.
How do you feel about the current and future relationship between Hip-Hop and higher education?