For years now, teachers have been trying to use hip-hop to convince their students that poetry is cool, and their job just got a little easier thanks to a new fellowship in Nas's name at Harvard University.
The fellowship was announced by the Hip-Hop Archive and the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard. It's called the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, and according to a press release, its mission is to "provide selected scholars and artists with an opportunity to show that 'education is real power,' as it builds upon the achievements of those who demonstrate exceptional capacity for productive scholarship and exceptional creative ability in the arts, in connection with hip-hop."
The Hip-Hop Archive aims to encourage new hip-hop-related projects and facilitate critical insight and discourse. Hip-Hop Archive director Marcyliena Morgan said in statement, "With the introduction of the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, we will continue to be the leading resource for those interested in knowing, developing, building, maintaining, and representing hip-hop."
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute added, "Nas is a true visionary, and he consistently shows how boundaries can be pushed and expanded to further the cause of education and knowledge. The work of the Du Bois Institute is enriched by the addition of the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship."
This is hardly the first time that rappers have become involved with university education. GZA has lectured to students about the universe, while Bun B became an assistant professor.
The fellowship was announced by the Hip-Hop Archive and the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard. It's called the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, and according to a press release, its mission is to "provide selected scholars and artists with an opportunity to show that 'education is real power,' as it builds upon the achievements of those who demonstrate exceptional capacity for productive scholarship and exceptional creative ability in the arts, in connection with hip-hop."
The Hip-Hop Archive aims to encourage new hip-hop-related projects and facilitate critical insight and discourse. Hip-Hop Archive director Marcyliena Morgan said in statement, "With the introduction of the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship, we will continue to be the leading resource for those interested in knowing, developing, building, maintaining, and representing hip-hop."
Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute added, "Nas is a true visionary, and he consistently shows how boundaries can be pushed and expanded to further the cause of education and knowledge. The work of the Du Bois Institute is enriched by the addition of the Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship."
This is hardly the first time that rappers have become involved with university education. GZA has lectured to students about the universe, while Bun B became an assistant professor.
