However, he dropped out a year after starting to focus on pursuing his musical career. Her ambition and a compelling letter to the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism got her a place in one of the top communications programs in the world. During the early 90s, Mos had gained some attention reading his poetry in venues like the fabled Nuyorican Cafe, and formed a hip-hop group with his brother and sister in 1993. It was not by chance: Chuck famously called hip-hop CNN for black people, and nothing was more important than the message. Theyre talented, theyre successful, theyve made fortunes and reputations for musical brilliance. These artists are proof that college is not just a place to get an education, but a place where one can learn to use their talents to change the world. It looks like Harvard and Yale may have another rivalry on their hands. Nas, who grew up in a housing project in Queens and dropped out of public school, said in an interview that he's overwhelmed about coming to Harvard: "Where I come from, that just doesn't happen. Garfunkel has also had success as a solo artist and actor. Cam'ron, Texas JUCO Source:Getty 3. celebrities who went to Harvard University. At USC one of the most prestigious private research universities in the West Young majored in economics while honing his rap skills, catching the ear of two classmates who had started Delicious Vinyl Records. Aloe Blacc earned a B.A. In the early aughts, Natalie Portman was starring as Padm Amidala in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Lilly Singh. #3 Kanye West. #1 Jay-Z. Ice Cube, a rap pioneer and actor, has been in the entertainment industry for 30 years, beginning with rap and working his way up to acting and producing. Born: 09-15-1946 Age: 76 Birthplace: San Saba, Texas, United States of America More Tommy Lee Jones #44 of 272 on The Best (Male) Actors Working Today #23 of 643 on After graduating, he pursued a masters degree in education at the University of Maryland and said he was one of the top five students in his class. This Is Your Sign to Book a Cheese Vacation. . Famous Men You'd Want To Have A Beer With, The Best Talk Show Hosts Of Daytime, Late Night, and All Time, The Greatest Actors & Actresses in Entertainment History. She studied history and literature at Radcliffe College of Harvard University, and graduated summa cum laude in 1965. Helen Keller, 1880-1968. M.I.A. Huey Lewis aced his SATs, receiving a perfect score on the Math section,and enrolled in Cornell University's engineering program. Since then, he has become one of the most well-rounded creatives in the business by excelling in music and entertainment. Junior colleges or JUCOS for short, are two-year Texas colleges similar and including community colleges. HipHopWired Featured Video Before they were selling out shows and dishing out bars, a number of rappers spent their time hitting the books. major in English from Harvard University in 1997. and as a solo artist, Ice Cube was at the center of the West Coast gangsta rap phenomenon, putting himself in the crosshairs of the culture wars with songs like F the Police and Amerikkkas Most Wanted. Before he was a figure the media loved to hate (and way, way before he was the lovably gruff face of family comedies), OShea Jackson was the younger son of a middle-class family in Baldwin Hills, the nicer side of South Central Los Angeles a background that gangsta rapper Ice Cube preferred to keep quiet. Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription. He left in his senior year so that he could appear in the TV film "Geronimo.". In addition to failing to graduate from high school, Jay-Z was the first billionaire in hip-hop. Hoodie Allen, the rapper, singer, and songwriter behind chart-topping rap albums, is a UPenn alum. All Rights Reserved. Degree:Theater,New York UniversityImage Source: Monstercat Wiki. Her communications and business education has served her well, with a slew of endorsements and a place in Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Yo Gotti Southwest Tennessee Community College. However, when Megan began posting freestyles to YouTube and Instagram, and destroying local rappers in the cypher, fame wasnt far behind. Degree:Dramatic Writing,New York UniversityImage Source: Hip Hop Wiki. They signed Young as their first artist, but their first major success came with Tone Loc, spitting rhymes written by Young MC. So before she could become Megan Thee Stallion, Megan enrolled in the land-grant HBCU Prairie View A&M University. Stay up to date with StyleCaster on the latest celebrity and entertainment news, as well as red carpet style photos. Degree:Business,Morehouse CollegeImage Source: Rap Genius. What is a GPA requirement for admission into Harvard University? Born Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, Chuck Ds rap career began right alongside the Big Bang of hip-hop the legendary 1977 New York City blackout, when the 17 year old was inspired to write rhymes by the post-blackout burst of creativity in the city. As a kid, Kweli wrote poetry and stories, getting into rapping only because it was a way for him to be popular in school, but, as with Mos Def, music was largely an afterthought. Rappers Method Man (Wu Tang Clan) and Redman play two "potheads" (for lack of a better term) who through the use of a magical herb attain brilliance and gain acceptance to Harvard University. He fielded scholarships from Georgetown University, Morehouse University, and Harvard University before deciding to attend UPenn. "Half the campus . Some presidents graduated from one (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy graduated from Harvard, for example) and some graduated from the. Likewise, LL Cool J received an honorary degree from Northeastern University in 2014. An Honorary Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology is a prerequisite for pursuing a degree in this field. He was inspired to create rhymes after the blackout because the city erupted in creativity. References to Columbia crop up often in Vampire Weekend's songs. Their degrees are from major research universities and liberal arts colleges and HBCUs. Unfortunately, Young MC was a victim of timing; he became a sensation precisely at the same time that his witty, clever, and harmlessly positive style became passe. However, Lewis dropped out of the Ivy League institution to pursue a career in music. Some rappers may have gone to college, while others may not have. A Screen Actors Guild and Grammy Award-winning artist, Chris Bridges may have gotten famous on some less-than-intellectual party jams, but the man himself is a mogul and a business mastermind. One of the best rappers with college degrees, Kweli comes by his verbal dexterity honestly, growing up in a highly literate family that includes an English professor (his mother), a college administrator and sociologist (his father), and a law professor (his brother). Stockard Channing attends the press night after party for "Apologia" at the Haymarket Hotel on August 3, 2017 in London, England. In interviews, Ice Cube has attributed his systematic planning to his architectural training, and it has served him well as he has built a three-decade career that has spanned from rap to acting to movie producing. He attended New York University where he studied Experimental Theater. He attended the University of Houston and majored in Business. Allen not only graduated from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, but secured a job at Google before deciding to focushis efforts on breaking into rap. Chuck D. received an Honorary Doctorate from Adelphi University in 2013. For the most part, though, those skills are self-taught, not from formal education. Some of them dropped out but even more graduated. Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for AFI. Theyre talented, theyre successful, theyve made fortunes and reputations for musical brilliance,and they have an Ivy League education to boot. Tommy Lee Jones attends "The Homesman" press conference during the 67th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2014 in Cannes, France. Her major was Electrical Engineering. Stardom took a while, though, and while he was perfecting his craft, Chuck earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Adelphi University, where he met fellow student William Drayton. Gurus work is steeped in the history and pre-history of hip-hop, as his Jazzmatazz albums demonstrate; experimental collisions of jazz artists, hip-hop beats, and rapping, the four Jazzmatazz records are like an alternate universe hip-hop. He never went to Harvard. Dean Norris was a straight A student in high school, and decided to pursue his college education at Harvard, where he studied the interdisciplinary concentration of Social Studies. He majored in Communications. There are a number of rappers who have graduated college, including Chance the Rapper, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar. Majoring in hip-hop isnt even one of the most unusual college degrees anymore. The campus is on Scotts Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section of the city. NEXT: Movie Stars You Didn't Know Went to Ivy League Schools. Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA has been known as the Genius since the early days of his career - but in recent months, the name has been particularly apt, as he has spent much of his free time chatting with scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and giving lectures at Harvard and New York University. The Lincoln High School Class Of 1990 Graduation Ceremony, The Many Options Available To High School Graduates, Explore Your Passions At Fort Payne High School, Understanding Credit Awarded For Doctoral Classes Taken By High School Students, Exploring Your Creativity: Why High School Art Classes Are The Perfect Place To Start, What Classes Should I Take In High School For Aviation, Navigating The Risks Of Adolescence: Exploring The California State University Extended Risk And Wellness Course. ; 6 JAY-Z / 3 billion USD in net worth (2021). The College Consensus ranking of the Top 10 Rappers with College Degrees is focused on the hip-hop legends and stars who have done their time in higher education and earned degrees even if they dont boast about their BAs along with their gold chains and Lambos (although rap stardom might be a good way to pay off student loans). Natalie Portman graduated from Harvard University in 2003 with an. Darren Aronofsky speaks on stage at the "Black Swan" closing night gala during AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on November 11, 2010 in Hollywood, California. Simon & Garfunkel went on to become one of the biggest bands of the 60s. That earned him the attention of the Native Tongues collective, the hyper-lyrical, Afrocentric scene that included the Jungle Brother, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Queen Latifah. (Photo: Twitter) She once ranted about the campus on Twitter. 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. 5. Hip-hop producers have been responsible for more technical innovations in recording than they will likely ever be fully credited for. Rah Digga Rah Digga is a legendary female rapper who attended New Jersey Institute of Technology. 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. ; 2 But this week, he'll be on WHRB Harvard Radio. Two years later, the fresh-faced graduateswere named"The Year's Best Band" by Spin magazine and were gracing covers all over the United States. He earned excellent grades in both GCSEs and A-Levels, before attending Queen Mary, University of London to study medicine. The University of Alabama is a public research university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States, and the flagship of the University of Alabama System. Lavell Crump aka David Banner is a talented rapper and producer from Mississippi who has tons of respect and street credibility in the rap game. David Banner David Banner studied business at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. While she loved classic artists like Lil Kim and Foxy Brown, and started writing poetry as a teenager, Saweetie cites hearing Nicki Minaj in high school as the motivation to begin rapping herself. Southwest Tennessee Community College is a community college operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Despite the best efforts of A Tribe Called Quests Q-Tip to get her signed to Columbia or Def Jam, Megan made her way independently, building her reputation on her preternaturally confident flow, fearlessly explicit lyrics, and some of the most quotable punchlines since Biggie. Plazacore. As Childish (from an online Wu-Tang name generator), Glover has been one of the most prolific hip-hop artists in the business, and thats on something that is essentially a side project. In addition to a degree, a rapper must have talent, discipline, determination, stamina, self-confidence, people skills, and marketing abilities. Diamont Quiava Valentin Harper better known as Saweetie has never been shy about the importance of education in her life. Modeled on the sports announcers he admired as a boy, Chucks lyrics blast out over the beats in a booming baritone, enunciating every word as clearly as a newscaster no matter how fast the flow. With help from some of the biggest producers in the industry, like Pharrell andWyclef Jean, she created dozens of pop/ R&B bops. The actor drew inspiration from his time at the Cambridge university for his . He graduated and got a job as a Correctional Officer. Ashley Judd was already a screen star with roles in A Time To Kill, Heat, Double Jeopardy and Kiss The Girls under her belt when she returned to education in the noughties. Donald Glover, AKA Childish Gambino, graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2006. But the most amusing part is that woman's position on vaccines, which is how to put it changed a little . Rashida Jones graduated from Harvard University in 1997. Harper better known as Saweetie has never been shy about the importance education... Even one of the city who have graduated college, including chance the rapper J.! Wasnt far behind to study medicine can confirm your subscription starting to focus on pursuing his career!, Texas JUCO Source: Getty 3. celebrities who went to Ivy League institution pursue... Dishing out bars, a number of rappers spent their time hitting the books came! Megan Thee Stallion, Megan enrolled in the land-grant HBCU Prairie View a & University... 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