Lets take a look at 19 hip hop artists who did the damn thing, and lets make way for the hard-earned celebratory BBQs and graduation parties. In this . Conan O'Brien graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1985. Yo Gotti Southwest Tennessee Community College. 2 Chainz attended Alabama State University on a basketball scholarship and played on their team from 1995 to 1997. She is a lover of short stories, Billie Eilish, and rainy days (in that order). Flavor Flav, Adelphi University Source:Getty 7. Ice Cube/Education. The University of Alabama is a public research university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the flagship of the University of Alabama System. 93. From a network television writing job straight out of college, to starring in Community, to stand-up comedy, to writing, directing, and starring in Atlanta, Glover has to be one of the busiest men in entertainment. Whitney Cummings graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Unlike most comedians, Martin didnt have a secret burning desire to be a comic from a young age. Your email address will not be published. Whitneys mark on show business definitely earns her a rightful place at the famous alumni table. Along with numerous television credits, she has quite the writing resume as well, regularly contributing to The Onion and The Huffington Post. Before they were selling out shows and dishing out bars, a number of rappers spent their time hitting the books. Lil Wayne The most prominent rapper of today that has blessed us with hit after hit for more than 20 years is also a post-secondary attendee. Degree: Theater,New York University These chart-topping musicians dominated the music scene and the classroom. That was Year Zero for Glovers career, when a spec script for The Simpsons got him a job in the writers room of 30 Rock. On the other hand, some artists return to college in various ways outside of being technically enrolled as students, such as through guest lecturing or even being the actual subject of an official course. 47Image Source: Wikipedia. While O'Brien was at Harvard, the editor in chief of the Harvard Crimson, the rival, non-humorous student newspaper, was Jeff Zucker. He spent his time at Yale studying the works of Shakespeare late into the night. He never went to Harvard. His dedication to the arts remains intact, even raising speculation on Twitter after a series of tweets alluded to him wanting to try his hand at teaching in the near future. RELATED: 20 Times Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Were Stunningly Beautiful Fashion Icons. What about the rappers with college degrees? Pretty hot. Ezra Koenig, the band's lead vocalist and songwriter, apparently had a pretty good experience. After graduation, Conan left for Los Angeles, where he got a writing job on an HBO show called Not Necessarily the News. " He even posted a picture of himself with his classmates and his Professor, Clay Christensen. It looks like Harvard and Yale may have another rivalry on their hands. Tommy Munsdwell Canady was in middle school when he wrote his first rap lyrics. Short Term Memory and Girlwatchers. The SNL writers won an Emmy that year. How Important is the LSAT to Law School Admissions? This list of notable alumni is loosely sorted by popularity and has people from different domains of life, such as writers, singers, musicians, intellectuals & academics and film . He went on to transfer to Virginia State University where he graduated and went on to pursue music full-time. David Banner David Banner studied business at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. His Harvard acceptance might be the topic of debate but theres no denying that he has a hot new album out. 2 Chainz, University of Alabama State Source:Getty 2. The actor drew inspiration from his time at the Cambridge university for his Oscar-winning. As he saw more of his friends get killed or go to jail, Cube became determined to create a better life for himself. After graduating from Columbia he was admitted to Harvard University One persons journey to the top of the rap game may be the complete opposite of the direction another chose to take. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Harvard has produced hundreds of geniuses who made the world a better place in their own ways. 4. RJ Hunter. Ja Rule can now be called a Harvard grad. Talib Kweli: The rapper has highly educated parents -- an English professor at a University (his mom), and an administrator at a University (his father), so no wonder he went to college. Master P. Master P. Changed the game in the 90s and made way for rappers to get paid multi-million dollar deals due to him being one of the first rappers to get large amounts of cash from Universal Records. Chuck D, Adelphi University Source:Getty 4. 75. He would be an essential writer on the show, and eventually worked his way up to Supervising Producer. Wayne's career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member . Whitneys mother was an alcoholic who wasnt very involved in her life and she often found herself walking long distances from school because her mother was too drunk to pick her up. Historically when it came to humor in Ivy League schools,Harvard University What rapper dropped out of Harvard? R.J. Hunter is an American basketball player who currently plays shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Demetri Martin graduated from Yale University A post shared by Gang Starr 4ever (@gangstarr4ever) on Apr 19, 2019 at 5:37am PDT. Its clear Whitney is a prodigy in many fields who enjoys accomplishing hard tasks in half of the time its supposed to take. Waka Flocka 91 with a double major in English and History. Shortly after becoming a regular at To Catch A Rising Star Bill started getting spots on the Tonight Show. Since then, he has become one of the most well-rounded creatives in the business by excelling in music and entertainment. While Glover had DJd and made a mixtape in college, it was writing (and, later, making cameos) on 30 Rock that brought Glover into the public eye. Banks went to Harvard Business school to brush up on her skills before the anticipated opening of amodel-themed amusement park in late 2019. Thats not to say that rappers do not possess extraordinary gifts: Flava Flav, before he was a reality-show embarrassment, was a musical prodigy, capable of playing more than a dozen instruments by ear, without any formal musical training, by his teenage years. Duff took onlineclassesfromdepartmentssuch as environmental science, government, and sociology. After high school, when a rap career seemed unlikely, Cube went out to Phoenix to study architectural drafting, hoping his love of architecture and design would serve as a fallback if hip-hop didnt work out. He was a member of the football team, a fraternity brother, and majored in finance and marketing. Another rapper, Yo-Yo Ma is an alumnus of Harvard University, where . Lauryn Hill released her first solo album, At Columbia, Hill took classicalmusiccourses, and was on her way to, TheSalutatorian of his high school, Legend had his pick of universities to attend. The young rapper's new self-titled album, Lil Pump, is ready for streaming on iTunes and features rappers Smokepurpp, Rick Ross, Chief Keef, 2 Chainz, and Gucci Mane. He is best known for Genres, a hip hop neo soul pop song with 9 rows. A weekly newsletter and updates on new shows. I cant even tell you why I thought to go to law school., Greg began something creative by starting to do stand up comedy in 1992, inspired not by the great comedians but by the bad ones. Did You Know These 10 Rappers Have College Degrees? With steady work in TV movies, theater, and sitcoms, the kid who would be Mos Def dropped out of high school to pursue his acting career, and credited his passion for acting as the force that protected him from the violence and crime of the Brooklyn projects. Degree:Dramatic Writing,New York University Before showing us his arrogance and spewing his hour long rants on stage Kanye Was a humble kid from Chicago who attended Chicago State university. After years of grinding it out in New York City, he was featured on the Comedy Central showcase Premium Blend. Answer (1 of 20): Offering a few lesser known but cool artists that attended or graduated from Ivies. Chuck has made education and activism the center of his career, from speaking to college students to producing documentaries about hip-hop and political issues. A handful of rappers have gone the more traditional route and pursed common undergraduate coursework, such as J. Cole earning a Communications degree or 2 Chainz focusing on Psychology, while others, such as Donald Glover and M.I.A. Hell, the 18-year-old never even went to any college, since he never finished high school. Ive always had real trouble knowing what my actual desires and goals are. In 2018, with the release of his extraordinary video for the single This is America, Glover went even farther, injecting the Childish Gambino spirit into American consciousness the way that only a superstar can. M.I.A. According to Tyra Banks, she just didn't have the vocal chops to pull it off. Of course the man who wrote Hard to Earn majored in business, and at Morehouse ranked one of the most entrepreneurial colleges in the nation business is no joke. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he attended Eli Whitney High School, according to author Dennis Abrams biography, Jay-Z (Hip-Hop Stars). Before the songstress and rapper was making hits and setting industry standards, Hill was a Columbia undergraduate. Who are the rappers that went to Harvard? President Barack Obama, George W. Bush, John Adams, Rutherford Hayes, John Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and John Quincy Adams all. Twelve years later he ended up writing and starring in the most popular sitcom of all the time and would go on to be number one on Forbess list of the worldshighest paid comedians. Oh, and dont forget Childish Gambino, his hip-hop alter-ego. Barack Obama graduated with a J.D. Degree:Music Management,Georgia State UniversityImage Source: Hip Hop Wiki. Of course, it was getting back together with Mos Def that made 1998s classic Black Star possible. But he was also the son of hard-working, striving Jamaican immigrants, and slacking off, running the streets, and getting in trouble was not an option. While others passed with flying colors, others just passed by; attending for a brief period before focusing on their music career. This burden of not being able to depend on her parents at a young age forced Whitney to depend on her wit and work ethic for survival. How Important is the LSAT to Law School Admissions? He later went on to pursue a masters in education, but went on to shift his focus to his music career. Then, of course, Bust a Move swept the world, a Grammy-winning, top-10 hit that became an albatross. In 2003, Demetri began writing for Late Night with Conan OBrien, and a year later got his own Comedy Central Presents special. Forming a duo with fellow theater student Talib Kweli, Mos Def released one game-changing record as Black Star before starting a solo career defined by lyrical excellence, political activism, and a fearless commitment to his art whether its rap, acting, or whatever Yasiin Bey decides to do next. Sanaa Lathan- Yale University 3. He attended the University of Houston and majored in Business. Diamont Quiava Valentin Harper better known as Saweetie has never been shy about the importance of education in her life. (Not to mention accepted into Stanford and applied to Yale at the same age.) That kind of dedication shows in every aspect of an impressive, and still developing, career that is already going on a decade. Kanye West The rapper we love to hate. They signed Young as their first artist, but their first major success came with Tone Loc, spitting rhymes written by Young MC. And 2022 will find her back at USC, this time as a guest lecturer in the entrepreneurship department! Natalie Portman tops this list. Before they were selling out shows and dishing out bars, a number of rappers spent their time hitting the books. Southwest Tennessee Community College is a community college operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Among rappers who went to college, Donald Glover is one of the most extraordinary multi-talented artists to come along in a generation. So before she could become Megan Thee Stallion, Megan enrolled in the land-grant HBCU Prairie View A&M University. He's originally from North Carolina and he met the members of his future rap crew 9 th Wonder and Big Pooh while attending college at North Carolina Central University. The same year he graduated from college (2007), Cole released his first mixtape, earning underground buzz that caught Hovs attention. Still, Banks has completed lots of ventures. Donald Glover graduated in 2006 and went on to land his first network television job straight out of college. We love you, Cube! When asked by family and friends why he left the law practice, Greg said Ialways wanted to do something creative. "There was a strong sense that there was only room . Degree:Business,Morehouse CollegeImage Source: Rap Genius. She went on to do a graduate program at Harvard University Education: Bachelor's in Government (concentration in Political Science and Macroeconomics) from Harvard College. When NBC chose Jay Leno over David Letterman, a spot was open for a host of late night talk show that would compete with Leno. After his first appearance, Hodgman became a reoccurring guest on the show, often playing characters like the deranged millionaire. His Daily Show appearances helped get him recurring roles in several television series like FXs Married, HBOs Bored to Death and Cinemaxs The Knick. Kempers first big break was participating in a K-mart commercial about tents where a spider crawls across her face. He could battle with the best of them, too, and boasted about his brilliance with confidence. More J. Cole The Best Rappers To Listen To If You Like J. Cole #148 of 185 on Conan O'Brien graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1985. And a business professor encouraged her to go for her hip-hop dreams, rather than settle into a boring corporate career. And what was Gurus major? Whether you agree or disagree with his views, you have to admit that Bill Maher is a hardworking, talented man who worked hard to secure his place in the collective media psyche as one the most influential talk show hosts of all time. Young MCs ambitions took him to the other side of the country, however: to the University of Southern California. Harvard University Although Damon dropped out of Harvard in 1992, his time there wasn't a total waste. 5. The Internet being what it is, however, the Miami MC has been able to cultivate the idea that he was enrolled in . Who is the rapper that went to college and got a job? As an MC, Kweli is known for his dense, intricate rhymes, including complex polysyllabic rhymes and internal rhymes, as well as his wordplay. While that foundation may have given Guru the business sense to keep Gang Starr in the black, it was his rhymes, combined with the influential beats of DJ Premier (who attended Prairie View A&M University), that made the duo legends in the underground. It is the largest university in the United States by undergraduate enrollment, as well as the largest by total enrollment. From its beginnings in the Bronx block parties hosted by DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash, hip-hop has been a ground-level art peoples music, popular music, even folk music. Eventually Lisa grew tired of reporting on celebrities and chose to become one instead. However, like many other musicians on this list, Carlton didn't wind up with a Columbia degree. He fielded scholarships from Georgetown University, Morehouse University, and Harvard University before deciding to attend UPenn. He roomed with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore as an upperclassman. Here are ten rappers who graduated from college. Since the spider performance Ellie has gone on to appear in roles on shows like the Colbert Report and The Office, and she is the main character of the Netflix original comedy series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Elam liked to blow his pseudonym out to Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal (as on the song Form of Intellect), and it wasnt an exaggeration; Guru was, quite simply, one of the most intelligent and wise MCs on the scene, known for crystal-clear observations on politics, philosophy, human nature, and art. As his music was blowing up he quit his job to pursue rap full-time. 8. Talib Kweli College: New York University Degree: Theater News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Conan left SNL in 1991 to join the writing staff of The Simpsons. Chuck D Public Enemy number 1. Growing up in Chicago, Luda came of age in Atlanta, where he would help pioneer the Dirty South sound. This private Ivy League research university has produced many successful alumni including two U.S presidents, 33 state senators and eight signers of the U.S Declarationof Independence. At the time, LL Cool J said:"For them to recognize my body of work and my contributions to the world of art is an amazing feeling.". LL Cool Js body of work and contributions to hip hop were honored in 2014. Famous Men You'd Want To Have A Beer With, The Most Popular TikTok Boys And Male Influencers Of 2023. Who Is The Coolest Actor In The World Right Now? Just a year later Whitney was making movie and TV appearances. In 2015, Kanye West was awarded an honorary doctorate from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. There is this common perception that rap artists are not too intelligent, but rightfully so because most rappers portray themselves not to be. 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Brown College of Business and Public Administration, An Interview with the Dean Dean Dr. Cathy Carey, University of Southern Indiana's Romain College of Business, An Interview With The Dean Dean Dr. Robin Sronce, Southern Arkansas University's Rankin College of Business, An Interview with the Dean Dean Dr. J. Bret Becton, University of Southern Mississippi's College of Business & Economic Development, Getty Museums representative for a Charles and Ray Eames exhibit. Join the writing staff of the most extraordinary multi-talented artists to come along a! Later got his own Comedy Central Presents special chuck D, Adelphi Source! Attended the University of Alabama State University where he got a writing job on HBO... Side of the most extraordinary multi-talented artists to come along in a generation 2006 and went on pursue. Young MC # x27 ; t a total waste Dirty South sound Chicago.! 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