Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship established by Hiphop Archive and Du Bois Institute

The 22-year career of multi-platinum Def Jam Recordings artist Nas is at the heart of a joint announcement by the Hiphop Archive and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University, to establish the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship.

The fellowship will 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 Hiphop.

“Having welcomed artists including Ninth Wonder and scholars including Mark Anthony Neal, the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute is uncompromising in our commitment to build and support intellectually challenging and innovative scholarship that reflects the rigor and achievement of Hiphop performance,” said Marcyliena Morgan, Harvard professor of African and African American Studies and founder and director of the Hiphop Archive and Research Institute. “With the introduction of the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellowship, we will continue to be the leading resource for those interested in knowing, developing, building, maintaining, and representing Hiphop.”

Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, 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 Hiphop Fellowship.”